


hold on, I still want you

by avengerskye



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Jealous!Hope, Jealous!Josie, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-11-08 20:59:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17988422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerskye/pseuds/avengerskye
Summary: Set after 1x12Josie has taken residency in the library after her fight with Lizzie. One night, Hope finds her. They talk about the note and their feelings.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song 'Hold On' by Chord Overstreet.

There was no one except Josie in the library. Since it was almost midnight, it was not that surprising. She had been sitting at the same table for hours now, going through tons of books in hopes to distract herself. It had been difficult to be around Lizzie lately. Josie was trying to be someone she never had been before, she was trying to put herself first. What didn't help was the revelation that the brunette twin was responsible for the hatred Lizzie had for Hope all those years. Josie sighed and buried her head in her hands as she thought about the conversation that had happened only three days ago. She had admitted everything : the lie, the fire, the _crush_... Josie hadn't missed the look of betrayal crossing Lizzie and Hope's face. The brunette hadn't meant to cause the wedge between the two girls, but back then she was still deeply buried in the closet and the panic had been too much to handle. Both girls had accepted Josie's apology, but she still felt the distance Lizzie kept between them. As for Hope, Josie had made it her personal mission to avoid the girl at all cost. To say she was embarrassed was an understatement, but she was mostly feeling guilty. What Hope had said back in the car, about her family's history and the painting she had lost in the fire, had really affected how Josie felt about the incident. MG had told her over and over again in the last few days that she wasn't a horrible person, but Josie still felt horrible. Being alone with Lizzie in their room was unbearable, so Josie spent all her free time in the library.

 

She was tired, and all she wanted was to go back to her room and sleep, but it wasn't late enough yet, Lizzie could still be up. So Josie closed the book she had just finished and pushed it aside. She looked around to decide what book she'd start next. She settles on a romance novel, she had no idea what it was about but maybe it would keep her up. She realized that she must have fallen asleep when a hand softly shakes her shoulder. Her head that was laying on the table shot up and her sleepy eyes meets clear blue ones. Hope was sitting on the chair next to hers, she was looking at Josie with a softness the brunette had rarely seen her show to someone.

 

"Hey Josie, sorry I woke you up." Hope said quietly.

 

"No, it's fine." Josie said as sits straighter on her chair.

 

"Why are you here so late?"

 

"I... I really felt like reading." Josie said, but it sounded more like a question.

 

Hope chuckled. "Really, uh?"

 

Josie sighed. "I was waiting for Lizzie to fall asleep to go back to my room."

 

Josie's words immediately put a frown on Hope's face. The tribrid looked so confused and Josie couldn't lie, it was cute.

 

"Are you guys still on rocky terms about the lie?"

 

Josie looked down at her lap, playing with her fingers to distract herself. So much for avoiding Hope and this potential conversation.

 

"If you'd ask her she'd say no, but I'm pretty sure she hates me a little."

 

Hope rolled her eyes. "There's no way she could hate you. She may be hurt, but you're still her twin. Give her some time and she'll come around."

 

Josie looked up and met Hope's eyes again. All she could see was fondness and compassion. Hope didn't hate her, she didn't ressent her and she didn't even look betrayed anymore.

 

"How could you forgive me so easily? I burned the painting you did with your father, I accused you of something terrible and caused Lizzie's hatred of you. You should hate me."

 

Hope smiles at her. "You throw the word 'hate' around a lot. I could never hate you, just like Lizzie could never hate you." Hope gets a little closer to Josie while still sitting on her chair. She gently places her hand on Josie's and give it a little squeeze. "I know you didn't do that to hurt me, and if we really look into it, all of this is pretty sweet."

 

Josie's eyes grew wide. "Sweet?"

 

"You wrote me a note because you had a crush on me, then you panicked and tried to get it back. In order to do that you burned down my room, but it's not like you meant to do it. You don't have a mean bone in your body Josie Saltzman. How could I be mad at you?"

 

Josie gave Hope a shy smile. "I'm glad you didn't freak out either."

 

"Freak out? Because you had a crush on me when we were kids?" Josie nodded and avoided Hope's eyes. Hope lifted her hand and softly placed it under Josie's chin. She made Josie look her in the eyes before saying another word. "Do you really think your crush was unrequited Jo? I know I kept to myself most of the time, but whenever I wanted someone's company I went to you." As Josie's eyes grew wide, Hope's smile became bigger. "I used to dream about warm brown eyes, soft words and pink plump lips."

 

Josie was so shocked by Hope's words that her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. Hope was into her when they were younger. Every word Hope had just said were barely sinking into Josie's brain. She had a hard time believing someone like Hope Mikaelson could have feelings for her. The tribrid took her hand away from Josie's chin and retreated back in her seat. Josie couldn't help but think that Hope looked shy and maybe even a little guilty. The brunette saw a faint blush covering the tribrid's cheeks and she wondered just why Hope was acting that way.

 

"Sometimes I still wonder what would have happened if I had been brave enough to make a move. I know it's useless but.." To end her sentence Hope just shrugged.

 

Josie finally found her voice. "I do too. I mean, I wonder what would have happened if I just had let you find the note."

 

Hope chuckled. "Well..." She gave Josie a sheepish smile. "You know if you tell what was in it, I could probably tell you how I would have responded."

 

Josie shook her head and laughed softly. "No, no, there's no way I'm telling you what was in that note."

 

"Come on! You wrote it for me, it's only fair I get to know what was in it."

 

Josie groaned and gave Hope a look that meant to say 'do I really have to?', Hope arched a brow as an answer. Josie took a deep breath.

 

"Dear Hope, your eyes always remind me of an ocean, and I wish you'd let me drown myself in them. If only I could get the chance to call you mine, I would show you that my feelings for you are real." Josie was blushing hard at that point. "In the end, there were two boxes you could check. You know to tell me if you were interested or not."

 

When Josie finally had the courage to look at Hope, all she saw was fondness. Hope smiles looked a lot like the one she gave Josie the night she found out about the crush. When their eyes met, Hope was quick to look away, but Josie didn't miss the blush covering the tribrid's cheeks. Josie got closer to Hope and took her hands in hers. It immediately got Hope's attention, and when she realized their closeness, her eyes widened. Before any of them could say something, Hope's phone rang. She picked it up and took the phone call. After the first line of the conversation, Josie could safely say that her dad was on the other end of the line. The look on Hope's face made it clear that something was wrong. As soon as Hope hung up, she got up from where she was sitting. Their moment was definitely over. Josie felt something like relief and disappointement combined.

 

"I have an emergency." Hope started. "You should go to your room, by the way. It's really late now, Lizzie must be asleep."

 

Josie shook her head softly and got up too. "Right."

 

"Goodnight Josie." Hope said before giving Josie a final smile and turning away.

 

As Hope was walking away from her, Josie realized that she hadn't actually responded to the verbal note. Josie debated if she should just let it go, but that note had haunted her enough, she deserved answers now. Josie quickly jogged to catch up with the tribrid. When she was close enough, Josie took Hope's wrist into her hand. Hope turned around and Josie let go of her wrist, not without touching her hand though.

 

"Josie, is something wrong?" Hope said with a frown.

 

"You never answered me." Josie simply said.

 

Realization dawned on Hope. "Oh... you're right." A soft smile appeared on Hope's face. "I would have checked yes. I would have nervously waited for you to get back from Spring Break and I would have given you the note back. Then I would have taken you on a date I guess."

 

Hope's words put a smile on Josie's face. It was nice to finally know, though it hurt to know what she had missed.

 

"Jo -"

 

Hope cut herself off when she spotted Josie's father and Landon coming their way. They looked at them with confusion and Hope decided that that conversation had to stay private. It was between them, and only them. Josie turned around to follow Hope's eyes, and she understood why Hope had stopped talking. They exchanged a knowing look before Hope walked past Josie and went away with her father and Landon. Maybe if Hope had superhearing, she would have heard Josie's last words.

 

"Right love, wrong time." Josie whispered.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time,right? 
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this!

So maybe Josie's crush on Hope came back in full force. Maybe she feels a little jealous as she sees Hope laugh at one of Landon's lame jokes. Maybe she avoids Penelope a lot more than usual. Maybe she's still trying to lie to herself.

 

"You should stop staring." MG says as he swallows his last bite of pizza.

 

Josie looks down and tries to play it cool even though she can feel a blush forming on her cheeks. She's about to try and defend herself when Lizzie sits down by her side. Josie immediately looks at her with wide surprised eyes. Lizzie had been avoiding her for two weeks now. It was hurting Josie a little more everyday, but she felt like she deserved it. She didn't know how she would have reacted if she was in Lizzie place.

 

"Close your mouth." Lizzie simply says as she digs in her salad.

 

The brunette twin does as she's told, but as she closes her mouth she can't help but let her lips form a shy smile at her sister. Lizzie barely looks at her, but Josie still feels happy. Her meal is over, but she still stays in the dining hall, just to be with Lizzie a little more.

 

"So Captain Marvel just came out and I thought - " MG starts.

 

Lizzie turns to look Josie straight in the eyes. "Where do you sleep?"

 

MG stops talking immediately. He might have said something about having to leave, but Josie's not sure. She just knows that he uses his vampire speed to get away from them.

 

"I sleep in my bed." Josie says with a frown. "We wake up together every morning."

 

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure you don't sleep in our room. You're never there when I go to sleep, even when I try to wait for you. So now be honest with me and tell me..." Lizzie takes a deep breath, as if it pains her to ask her question. "Are you seeing Penelope again?"

 

"What?" Josie says, confused. "No! It's over between Penelope and I."

 

"Ok. Are you sleeping with her then?"

 

Josie rolls her eyes. "No Lizzie. Not that it's any of your business."

 

Lizzie makes a disgusted face and nods. "Good. You deserve better."

 

"She wasn't a bad girlfriend, you know?" Josie says as she gets up. Lizzie's words are getting Josie a little angry. "She was actually really good to me, and she cared and loved me.Yes, she broke my heart, but don't imply that she's a bad girlfriend. That's not true."

 

"Thanks for defending me, Jojo." Penelope says from behing Josie.

 

Josie turns around sharply and is immediately met wtih Penelope smirking at her. She can't seem to avoid anyone these days.

 

"Pen..." Josie says looking at the ground.

 

"Don't worry, I heard everything." Penelope says, her whole attention on Josie. "Maybe we could stay friends though? We promised each other that when we started dating, remember?"

 

Josie smiles softly. Of course she remembers the promise they made that day. Their friendship was still kinda fresh when they started dating, but it was so genuine and pure.

 

"Friends sounds good." Josie agrees.

 

"Deal then. See you around Jojo." Penelope says before walking away.

 

When Josie turns to meet her sister's gaze again, the expression on Lizzie's face is strange. Usually, Josie had no trouble reading her twin. Lizzie almost looked guilty, but not quite. The blonde girl doesn't say a word, so Josie decides to speak again.

 

"Look, I'm really tired of fighting with you. I've been spending half of my nights in the library because I don't know how to be in the same room as you." Josie knows there are tears in her eyes, but she fights hard not to let them escape. "I made a mistake. I lied to you and it had a lot of consequences. If you can't forgive me, then fine. Just tell me, and I'll ask dad to switch rooms."

 

"I don't want you to switch rooms." Lizzie quickly blurts out. "I don't know how to be around you anymore. You broke my trust Jo. You were the only person I thought would never let me down. I just need time to recover, I guess, but I don't want you to go."

 

Josie is kinda stunned by her sister's words, she was not making any sense. Before Josie could form any kind of answer, the bell rang signaling the begining of class.

 

"Just come to our room after class, okay?" Lizzie asks. "I don't want you to hide from me."

 

Then Lizzie leaves and Josie's left standing alone in the dining hall. Everything feels really overwhelming in that moment. Her feelings for Hope, the conversation she had with Penelope, the one she had with Lizzie. Going to class was out of question. So instead Josie carefully made her way out of the school and into the woods. Her legs carried her automatically to the abandoned house she had found with Lizzie when they were younger. She got in and walked around the house. Then she got in one of the corner of the house and sat down. She hugged her knees to her chest and finally let her tears fall. She doesn't know how long she stays like that, but she figures it's been a long time when Hope comes into the house looking around frantically with a worried frown. When their eyes meet, Josie sees the relief in Hope's. Before Josie has a chance to get up, Hope runs to her and sinks on her knees a few milimeters away from her. Hope takes Josie's face in her hands. The tribrid's gaze is focused and intense.

 

"Are you hurt? Did you see the troll?"

 

Confusion quickly gains Josie. "What?"

 

Hope takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "A troll attacked the school. You were nowhere to be seen, I thought... I thought something bad had happened to you."

 

Hope's last words are barely above a whisper. It's only then that Josie notices how close they were, Hope's face was so close to hers that she could just lean in and... No, she couldn't think about that.

 

"I'm fine. I didn't see the troll." Josie says, her voice a bit raspy.

 

Hope doesn't look convinced, and Josie understands why when the auburn haire girl uses her thumb to catch the still falling tears on Josie's cheeks.

 

"You don't seem fine to me." Hope says softly.

 

Alaric and Lizzie come running into the abandoned house, looking as worried as Hope had been. Suddenly the moment they had been sharing is over, and Josie feels cold when Hope takes her hand away from her cheek.

 

"Oh sweetie..." Alaric breathes out.

 

Hope stands up and takes a few steps back, allowing Josie to get up. Josie does, and as soon as she's up, she's pulled into a tight hug from her father and her sister.

 

"I didn't mean to worry you." Josie simply gets out.

 

"You're never allowed to get out of my sight again." Lizzie says seriously.

 

Surprisingly, it gets a chuckle out of Josie. Lizzie tries to fight her smile, but finally gives in. After allowing the hug to last a little longer, Hope remind them they have to get back to school soon. No one opposes and they all walk together. Hope walks on one side of Alaric, Lizzie on the other and finally Josie on Lizzie's other side. Lizzie rambles all the way to the school about the new monster, and how Landon found the new Malivore artifact in one of his jeans pocket. He still doesn't know where it came from. Josie barely listens though, replaying the day's events in her head. She could pratically still feel the softness of Hope's thumb on her cheek. The brunette chances a glance at Hope, but when she makes eye contact she quickly looks away. Hope had been looking at her.

 

"What did you do with the troll?" Josie asks to distract herself.

 

Lizzie is all to happy to answer. Josie can still feel Hope's eyes on her though, and it's driving her insane. What game was Hope playing? As soon as they are all inside the school, Alaric tells them to go to their rooms. Lizzie agrees and quickly says goodbye to Hope before pulling Josie to their room.

 

"Wait!" Hope calls out and joggs to get to them. "Josie, could we talk?"

 

Josie feels like screaming, but she smiles instead. "Of course, what's up?"

 

Hope gives Lizzie a quick glance. "I meant alone..."

 

Lizzie looks about to butt in, but she clenches her jaw. "Fine. Fifteen minutes, not one more second, or I'm coming to get you. Got it?" Lizzie says.

 

Josie smiles, knowing full well that Lizzie's words are out of concern. "Fifteen minutes, got it."

 

Lizzie and Hope look at each other for a moment, until Lizzie nods and turn around to leave. Then Hope looks back at Josie and her expression softens.

 

"Wanna go to my room?"

 

"Uh, yeah." Josie says a bit stunned.

 

Hope smiles and turns around, leading the way to her room. Josie walks by her side, hugging herself with one arm and looking at the ground.

 

"Does it make you nervous? Going to my room, I mean. 'Cause we can go to neutral territory, like the library."

 

Josie's surprised the hear the nervousness in Hope's voice. She looks up at the tribrid and when she sees the light blush on Hope's cheeks, Josie looks down again, but with a soft smile this time.

 

"Your room's fine. But... what do you want to talk about?"

 

"I just... want you to talk Josie." Hope sighs. "You closed yourself up recently, even more than usual. I don't think you realize it Jo, but you keep to yourself almost as much as I do."

 

"No, I don't!" Josie whisper-yells. "I talk to people."

 

"Who? If you're talking about MG, he told me you barely talked to him." Hope says. "Sure you spend time with him, but it's like you're not really there."

 

Hope stops in front of a door and turns to face Josie. The tribrid can tell that the younger girl is far from happy about the conversation they were having. However, Hope was sure of one thing, Josie Saltzman needed someone to lean on.

 

"Let's finish this conversation inside the room, okay?" Hope proposes.

 

Josie doesn't answer, she just hugs herself tighter. Hope unlocks her door and opens it, letting Josie step in first. After a small moment, Josie does get inside. She's a little amazed by the look of Hope's room. It somehow felt warmer than what Josie had pictured. In one corner, she can see a painting still in progress. Without thinking too much about it, she gets closer to the painting, wanting to see what it was. It was Rafael and Landon, and it looked amazing, even if it wasn't over.

 

"You're very talented." Josie says.

 

"Thank you." Hope says, and she's so close behind Josie that the brunette jumps a little. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

 

Josie smiles. "It's fine, I just didn't think you were that close."

 

Hope smiles back. "So, about that talk..."

 

Josie groans. "Do we have to?"

 

Hope hesitates for a moment. She wants Josie to talk, but she doesn't want to force her to. Being a good friend was a real struggle sometimes.

 

"No." Hope finally drops. "Do you still wanna stay? We could watch a movie."

 

Josie is taken aback by Hope's proposal. "Really? Don't you want to spend time with Landon?"

 

"He can spend time with Raf. I want to be with you right now."

 

Hope's words are spoken with a softness that makes it impossible to deny her request. So Josie quickly agrees, texts Lizzie to let her know and waits as Hope calls Landon to let him know too. The call is short, and Josie's thankful when she doesn't hear something that would make her heart break a little more. Hope lets Josie choose the movie, and maybe Josie gets a little excited at the idea. They open Netflix and Josie takes her time picking a movie. When she lands on Cheaper by the Dozen and Hope says she never saw it, it closes the deal.

 

"It's one of my feel good movies." Josie mentions with an excited smile.

 

"Perfect then." Hope almost whispers.

 

The laptop is in Hope's lap and Josie has to scoot a little closer to see the movie properly. When she gets a little too close and actually touches Hope, Josie quickly excuses herself before moving away. Hope chuckles and shakes her head, then she gets as close as possible to Josie. She puts her arm around Josie's shoulders and pulls her in. Josie is so surprised that her whole body tenses up.

 

"Everything is okay Josie." Hope says gently.

 

Josie doesn't say a thing, but she buries her head in Hope's neck as she lets her tears fall once again. Hope doesn't mention the fact that her shirt is quickly soaked. She stays quiet as she rubs Josie's arm softly. It takes a while for Josie's tears to stop falling, but when they do, Hope realizes that the younger girl is asleep. Hope puts her laptop away, the movie long forgotten. Then she lets herself and Josie sink deeper under the covers. She holds Josie close, as if the girl could break if she'd loosen her hold.

 

"You're so brave and quiet, that it's hard to remember that you hurt too" Hope whispers before placing a soft kiss on top of Josie's head.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Sorry I disappeared for a while. I had personal issues and then I got really sick. But now I'm back!
> 
> Oh, did someone said Jealous!Hope? Enjoy!

So there's a new girl in school. Of course, Josie and Lizzie are tasked to show her around. Lizzie quickly gets bored though, because the girl isn't giving her any attention. All she does is heavily flirt with Josie. Okay, so it does get Josie flustered. The girl is older, beautiful and witty. She looks at Josie like Penelope used to, like Josie wished Hope would look at her. After one too many comment, Lizzie groans.

 

"You obviously don't need me around. I'll see you later Jo." Lizzie says before dramatically turning away.

 

Josie wants to stop her, but the girl chuckles and it takes Josie's attention.

 

"Guess I wasn't that subtle, uh?" She winks at Josie. "I can't help it, you're way too cute."

 

Josie blushes and chuckles.

 

"Now do I get to know a little more about you?" The girl asks.

 

Josie doesn't see the harm in playing her game. She wasn't seeing anyone after all.

 

"Tell me what you'd like to know." Josie says with a smile.

 

They end the tour with the dining hall where everyone was already gathered for dinner. Josie looks around to find her sister, and the blonde is sitting with Hope, Landon, Rafael, MG and Kaleb. Josie suggest they go sit with them, but the girl refuses.

 

"Can't we just sit together? I'm really liking our conversation."

 

Josie thinks about refusing, but when the girl gives her a hopeful smile Josie can't help but agree. They take their food and sit alone at a table. Josie shoots an apologetic smile to her sister and their friends. She notices the frown on Hope's face, but decides not to dwell on it. Then the girl is talking again and Josie gives her her attention. So the new girl is named Ashley, she's 17 (just like Hope, not that it crosses Josie's mind) and she's a vampire. Josie's mother found Ashley somewhere in Europe, but honestly the witch can't bring herself to remember where exactly. The girl talks so much that Josie registers only a small part of her words. But she's cute, and touchy and obviously into her so Josie stays.

 

*

 

Ashley has been into Salvatore's Boarding School for a week and Josie is kind of getting annoyed. The girl follows her everywhere and doesn't miss a chance to flirt with her. It had been fun the first day, but now it was heavy. Josie couldn't be in a room without Ashley showing up. So maybe Josie was searching a way to escape. The brunette goes into the woods, not without letting Lizzie know this time. As soon as she gets at the abandoned house, Josie sits on the steps and let out a breath. It was quiet, something she longed for for a week now. It's quiet until it's not. Branches crack and Josie quickly stands up to look for the intruder. The sight she's met with makes her catch her breath. A wolf with beautiful white fur stands in front of her. It doesn't take Josie long to know who it is, only Hope can change whenever she wishes to. The wolf looks at the banister of the house, as if to show something to Josie. The brunette turns her head and understands immediately. There's a bag tied to the banister, a bag that surely contains Hope's clothes.

 

Josie groans. "Please don't ask me to go back to school."

 

The wolf turns its head on the side, as if it was wondering why Josie would say that. Then Hope starts to walk closer, and motions for the bag again. It's when Josie understands. Hope wants her to give her her bag. Josie quickly gets into action. Hope is hesitant to get closer.

 

"Do you want me to throw it close to you?"

 

Hope's wolf eyes light up and she barks her approval. It makes Josie chuckles as she throws the bag to it's owner. Hope takes it in her mouth and walks away. As soon as she's out of sight, Josie wonders if she'll come back. Then there's a noise and it makes Josie smile, until she sees Ashley coming out of the woods.

 

"Josie, sweetie, I've been looking for you everywhere." The girl says with a wicked smile. "Were you hiding from me? Because I really like to play, you see, and since I found you maybe I should get a reward."

 

Josie's eyes grow wide and her mouth hangs open. That was forward. Before Josie has a chance to answer, Hope gets out of the woods too. She looks at Ashley with something in her eyes Josie doesn't recognize.

 

"Josie was actually here with me." Hope states as she gets closer to the witch.

 

Hope stands close to Josie, her body kind of shielding Josie's. The girls are having a stare down and Josie has to admit it's kind of intimidating.

 

"I believe Josie can speak for herself." Ashley says after she rolls her eyes.

 

Hope snorts. "Like she can even place a word with you. You've been speaking non-stop for a freaking week."

 

"No one actually likes to talk to a fucking wall Mikaelson! Just because you have the social skills of a statue doesn't mean that we all have to be like you. Josie likes our conversations."

 

"Oh you mean she likes to listen to your monologues?"

 

"Please girls, stop it, I'm standing right here." Josie says, annoyed at their antics.

 

Both girls turn their attention to her, as if they had actually forgotten she was there. Hope has the decency to look guilty, but all Ashley does is give her a flirty smile.

 

"You should be careful Josie, dogs are possessive. She might pee on you next." Ashley says with a smug smile.

 

Hope glares at the girl. The auburn haired girl is about to defend herself, but Josie is quicker.

 

"Now, I don't know what's going on, but I want it to stop." Josie says firmly. "I'm going back to school. Alone."

 

Josie turns around and starts walking away.

 

"What? But bab-" Ashley starts.

 

"Josie, I'm sorr-" Hope says at the same time.

 

"I said stop! We're not dating Ashley. So there's no 'babe' or 'sweetie'." Josie looks at Hope. "I don't get it." She shakes her head. "I don't get you, Hope."

 

Neither of the girls say a thing, and Josie takes it as her cue to leave. As she walks to the school, she can feel tears on her cheeks. Wether they are sad or angry tears, she's not sure. Emotions and thoughts were at war inside of her. Her feelings for Hope were now more confusing than ever. Why was the tribrid acting that way. Looking out for her, worrying about her, protecting her. Was Hope jealous of the attention Ashley had been giving her? Was it the reason Hope had a shouting match with Ashley? And Ashley, why was that girl so into her? The flirting was endearing at first, but now it was nearing the obsession.

 

Josie hadn't even realized she was walking inside the school now. She only realized when she collided into someone. It was sudden, but the person was quick to steady her.

 

"- you okay? Josie, come on, talk to me."

 

Josie looked up to find a very concerned MG looking at her. She just shakes her head before burying it in MG's neck. The vampire's hold on her is comforting, it's full of love and understanding.

 

"You'll be okay, Jo." MG whispers in her ear.

 

Josie clutches MG's shirt in her hands, she doesn't want him to let go. She needs this, more than ever. Josie doesn't realize they're not alone anymore at first. It's only when MG squeezes her a little tighter, and starts speaking that she understands who's there.

 

"What happened Hope?"

 

MG's voice is protective, fierce. He's usually funny and light, Josie almost doesn't recognize him.

 

"I- I didn't mean to upset her." Hope says, her voice shaking.

 

"What. Happened?" MG repeats.

 

"Ashley and I... we fought." She quickly rectify herself. "Verbally, I mean. I don't know... Josie, she just..."

 

"She's right here." Josie says as she angrily wipes her tears away.

 

Hope looks down at the ground. "Of course. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk like you weren't here." Hope takes a step closer. "Could we talk? I- I really think we should talk."

 

Josie winces as Hope steps closer. The witch isn't sure she wants to talk with Hope. Actually, she is dying to talk with her, but she is also scared to death about what would come out of that conversation.

 

"You don't have to Jo." MG states. "Come on, let's get ice cream together. We can even watch one of those sappy movies you like so much."

 

"No. I... She's right, we have to talk."

 

MG scrunches his face, unsure of her decision. "Are you sure?"

 

"Yeah." Josie says in a breath.

 

"Call if you need something." MG says. He glances at Hope before looking at Josie again. "Even if it's to kick her ass."

 

He leaves after that, but not without glancing back at Josie a few times. The witch can see how nervous Hope is. The confident girl can't even look her in the eyes. After a moment, Josie decides to break the silence.

 

"Should we do this here?"

 

It looks as if it shook Hope, she's startled. "Uh, no. Let's go to my room. I mean, if you're comfortable with that. If you're not we can go somewhere else. Just tell me where, or guide the way."

 

Hope seems so nervous that it makes Josie chuckle. "Your room's fine."

 

They walk in silence to Hope's room. When they get there, Hope is the first to get inside with Josie close behind. As they walk in, Josie hears Hope take a deep breath. She's about to ask why, but then Hope closes the door with both of her hands. Josie is trapped between the door and Hope as both of Hope's hands are resting on the door on each side of her head. Josie gulps with difficulty. Hope is so close to her that for a moment Josie thinks the tribrid is gonna kiss her. But Hope doesn't. She gets close to Josie, but she only presses her forehead to Josie's.

 

"I don't get me either Jo." Hope breathes.

 

"What do you mean?" Josie asks as she wonders if Hope can hear how fast her heart is beating.

 

"I love Landon... I really do." Hope says after she closed her eyes. "But you... I thought my feelings for you were buried deeply inside of me, but it seems they weren't that far. I think about you all the time. I guess I have no right to, but I got so jealous when you started to hang out with Ashley."

 

"How do you think I feel when you're with Landon?" Josie says back.

 

Hope opens her eyes. Josie sees the pain in the blue oceans of Hope's eyes, and she hates that she's the reason it's there. The younger witch takes the front of Hope's shirt in her hands, bringing the older girl even closer. The tribrid let her do it, and then her hands fall from where they were trapping Josie. Hope puts her hands on Josie's waist, enjoying their proximity. It's then that Josie can't take it anymore, she leans in, ready to finally kiss Hope. Just as their lips are brushing, there's a knock on the door. It surprises both girls, and they jump apart.

 

"Hope? Are you in there?" Landon asks on the other side of the door.

 

The girls look at each other, their eyes growing wide. Hope looks at the ground, unable to face Josie as her boyfriend is standing on the other side of the door. There's another knock.

 

"I guess you're not there..."

 

It would be so easy to ignore him. To just resume what they had been doing. But it wouldn't be right, and they both know it. With the last straw of braveness she has left, Hope looks at Josie and mouths an apology before walking to the door. When she opens it, she gives her best fake smile to her boyfriend.

 

"Landon, hi!" Hope says before Landon moves inside and peck her quickly on the lips.

 

"Hi." He said with a smile. "Oh you weren't alone. Did I interrupt something?"

 

"What?" Hope says with a bit of panic. "No! Of course not, we were just... talking."

 

Josie tries to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. Instead of letting her heartbreak show, she smiles too.

 

"Yeah and our talk is over. We said everything there was to say." Josie says with a pointed look at Hope. "Good night guys."

 

Then Josie is out of the door. As she walks back to her room, she refuses to let the tears spill again. She wouldn't cry for Hope, not again.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this would be out yesterday. I suck at updating on time. Sorry everyone. 
> 
> So I added a tag or two... because this is getting kinda angsty and it might take a little more time than I thought before Hope and Josie actually kiss or something... So yeah. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Josie has been at the receiving end of Hope's sad puppy eyes for two weeks. Everyone around them could see something was wrong, but Josie refused to talk about it and Hope denied it everytime. Hope tried to talk to Josie a couple of times, only to be pushed away every single time. After a week she stopped trying, but she kept looking at Josie with her sad ocean eyes. Josie on the other hand had made her mind about her relationship with Hope, it would never go anywhere. She needed to move on, and fast. So the witch focuses herself on other things. She spends time with her sister, with MG and with Penelope. A little more with Penelope, since the girl never brings Hope up. Josie avoids Ashley as much as she can, but the vampire girl is persistent, and sometimes Josie's likes the attention. Lizzie doesn't know much about her situation with Hope, she still thinks Josie is nursing the heartbreak Penelope put her through.

 

"Maybe you should just get a rebound Josie." Lizzie says one night. "That girl is dying to get in your pants, so let her."

 

Josie blushes at her sisters words. She couldn't possibly do that. Having sex with someone just like that was so unlike her. She shakes that thought from her mind. She couldn't do that.

 

She starts to reconsider the idea one night when she's in the library. She had been studying for about an hour when Ashley came into the room. The blonde vampire had sensually walked to Josie, her smirk firmly in place.

 

"Hi." Ashley says as she sits next to Josie.

 

Josie smiles. "Hi."

 

"What are you studying?" Ashley asks with an innocent smile.

 

"The history of witches in America." Josie simply replies.

 

"Really? Let me see." Ashley gets closer, and as she does, she places one hand on Josie's thigh. "Seems interesting. I wish I was a witch."

 

Josie doesn't say a word because Ashley's hand is moving up and down her thigh, and she hates to admit it, but it feels _good_. So Josie lets her. She stands still, very still, she's not even sure she's breathing, and Ashley's hand doesn't stop caressing her thigh. Ashley leans closer to Josie, so close that Josie feels her breath on her cheek.

 

"Are you okay sweetie? You're a little red." Ashley teases.

 

Josie's mouth opens, but nothing comes out, and all too soon, Ashley's hand is gone and the girl is standing up. When Josie looks up, she's met with a smug smile.

 

"Don't look so outraged, your guard dog was glaring at me." Ashley says.

 

Josie looks around, knowing full well who the vampire girl is talking about. She catches Hope's gaze for a second, blue eyes meet brown ones. For a second, Josie feels shy under the older girl's gaze, but the tribrid looks back at her book quickly. Josie can see Hope is trying to hide the fact that she had been looking at them. Josie looks back at Ashley. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, again.

 

"We should continue this in my room sometime. See you later cutie."

 

With a wink, Ashley is gone. Josie feels defeated, and horny, but she's mostly angry. Josie stands up and quickly shuts all her books closed. She gathers them and walks straight to Hope.

 

"You have no right to stand in the way of someone who wants to be with me." Josie whispers-yells angrily.

 

Hope rolls her eyes. "She doesn't wanna be with you, she wants to sleep with you."

 

"It doesn't matter! You know what? It's none of your business. You wanna be with Landon, fine. You don't want me, fine. But you have to let me be, you can't expect me to just wait around Hope! It's not fair to me."

 

"I-I don't expect you to wait for me. I just want you to be happy. To be with someone who deserves you. You're worth so much more than that Josie. Find someone who'll love you, someone who will treat you right."

 

Josie snorts. "That kind of love doesn't exist. Everyone just ends up crushing my heart."

 

Josie doesn't realize she's crying until the tears are freely falling from her eyes. Before she has time to react, Hope is standing up and pulling her into a tight embrace. She's engulfed by everything that is Hope Mikaelson, and it hurts. Because Hope is everything she could have wanted, but she's also very unavailable. So Josie does the only thing that seems right at this moment. She pushes the older girl away.

 

"I said. Leave. Me. Be."

 

"Josie, please wait!" Hope tries, but Josie just turns around and leave the library.

 

Then Josie walks straight to Ashley's bedroom. She needs to forget Hope Mikaelson ASAP. Maybe she could just listen to Lizzie for once. Having meaningless sex did actually sound good right now. She taps three times on the door, and it immediately opens. Josie notices how Ashley's clothes aren't the same as earlier. The blonde girl is wearing nights shorts that are barely visible because they're covered by the oversized shirt she's wearing. For some reason, Ashley looks even better this way.

 

"Josie?" Ashley says.

 

Josie's not sure about what she hears in Ashley's voice. Is it surprise or confusion? She couldn't tell.

 

"Uh, hi." Josie says as she gives Ashley a shy smile.

 

Ashley smiles back, and it the softest smile Josie ever saw on her. Everything was a bit weird around them. Josie had expected Ashley to be her usual self, flirty and daring. What Josie clearly hadn't expected was a cute looking Ashley smiling softly at her.

 

"Do you wanna come in?" Ashley asks.

 

Josie thinks for a moment. "Uh, no. Sorry I shouldn't be here."

 

The brunette turns around to leave, but Ashley catches her wrist.

 

"Josie, what's wrong?"

 

It's sweet and caring, and it makes Josie feels bad. She came to Ashley's room to have meaningless sex with the vampire girl, but now she couldn't do that. The way Ashley spoke to her, the way she looked at her, Josie knew they couldn't go further.

 

"Do you actually have feelings for me? Because if this is just about getting in my pants, I'm fine with that. I'll follow you inside your room. However, if you do have feelings for me, I can't do that. Because I don't want to hurt you." Josie says quickly.

 

Ashley is taken aback for a moment, it's evident on her face. Then she chuckles and as she looks down, shaking her head.

 

"Come inside Josie, I think we should talk." Ashley says as she opens the door to her room a little wider.

 

Josie nods and walks inside the room. As soon as she's standing in the middle of the room, Josie crosses her arms. She pulls her walls up, not knowing how this would turn out.

 

"Do you wanna sit?"

 

"Not really."

 

"Come on sweetie, just relax." Ashley says as she moves closer to Josie.

 

Somehow, Josie does relax. "We're back at the nicknames?"

 

"Well, I figured that if you're uncomfortable when I try to be sweet to you, maybe you'd be comfortable with the 'me' that you actually know."

 

Josie groans at Ashley's words. "And now I feel horrible. I mean, I actually know nothing about you. I didn't even try to get to know you."

 

Ashley shrugs. "It's normal, you're already hung up on Hope."

 

Josie's mouths opens in shock. She was that obvious. The sweet smile that graced Ashley's face earlier is now replaced by her signature smirk.

 

"Please, did you really think I was stupid enough not to notice how you look at her?"

 

"I-I just..."

 

"It's fine babe. It's not like I'm in love with you or anything." Ashley says before sitting on her bed. "I mean, I think you're hot and cute and definitely would love if you'd give me a shot. I'm okay if don't wanna though."

 

Josie listens to every word says, and watches her every moves. The blonde vampire is almost acting like it's no big deal. She sees the way Ashley looks at her though, and she knows it's not.

 

"So if I just walk out of your room, you'll move on." Josie states. "No hurt feelings."

 

Ashley shrugs. "I guess."

 

Josie doesn't walk out of the room. She walks closer to where Ashley is sitting on her bed. When she's close enough, Josie looks down at the vampire.

 

"What if I want to sleep with you?" Josie asks.

 

Ashley gulps. "I'd be okay with that."

 

"No strings attached?" Josie says again.

 

"No strings attached."

 

Josie nods and leans down to kiss Ashley, and she enjoys the fact that the vampire kisses her back immediately. As Josie straddles Ashley's waist, she tries not to think about auburn hair and ocean blue eyes. She fails miserably.

 

*****

 

There's a first time for everything, they say. That's what Josie tells herself the morning after she had sex with Ashley as she does the walk of shame through the halls of the school. She's lucky, no one is actually awake before 6 AM, so she's walking through empty halls. She almost has the time to sigh in relief, because she can actually see the door to her room. What makes her stop breathing instead, is the sight of a very sweaty and sexy Hope Mikaelson walking her way.

 

"Josie?" Hope says. "What are you doing up at this hour? And why are you wearing the clothes you wore yeste-" Hope cuts herself.

 

The tribrid's eyes widen as she realizes what is actually happening. Josie feels the dark blush covering her cheeks and she also feels a sinking feeling in her chest. This couldn't actually be happening. The younger girl sees how Hope looks at her, really looks at her. She sees how the tribrid tries to hide her emotions.

 

"I hope you had a good time." Hope says with snark, her face twisted in displeasure.

 

Then she starts walking again. Cutting the conversation short. But it got Josie angry. Why did Hope think it was okay to be so judgy?

 

"Wish it were you?" Josie asks just after Hope passes by her.

 

She hears how Hope stops walking, so Josie turns around. She's met by Hope's back, but she can clearly see how the older girl has her hands balled into fists. Before she has time to react, Josie is pressed against the wall. She had almost forgot that Hope was faster than a normal human would be. Hope's mouth gets close to Josie's ear, her lips brushing lightly Josie's flesh.

 

"I do, but tell me Jo... How bad did you wish it was me last night?"

 

Hope's mouth stays close to Josie's ear for a moment, and then the older girl buries her face in Josie's neck. Josie feels how Hope deeply inhales her scent. Her heart beat is racing, and if Hope doesn't move soon, Josie will certainly do something they'll both regret. But then Hope moves, and she's soon gone. It's only then that Josie feels like she can breathe again.She looks at Hope's disapearing form and fights back the tears that were in her eyes. Forgetting Hope Mikaelson was clearly not an option, because Hope Mikaelson wouldn't allow her to forget.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies! 
> 
> Before the chapter, I just want to thank all of you for the wonderful comments you leave on this story, it truly means the world to me.
> 
> I'm not really sure about this chapter, but I rewrote it a couple of times and... you know.   
> I hope you'll enjoy!

In the week following their hook up, Josie and Ashley spend more time together. They don't hook up again, but there are some stolen kisses here and there. Without all her walls up, Ashley is actually quite an interesting person. Josie's friends are weary of Ashley, but Josie doesn't let their opinions change anything. Being with Ashley is the only thing that keeps any thought of Hope Mikaelson away. Josie sees the way Ashley and Hope have settled in some sort of rivalry. She sees the way they compete in each class they share, she sees the glare they exchange. But Josie does her best to stay far away from it. She wants to avoid another way too close encounter with the older girl. It helps that Hope doesn't seem to seek her out. Hope looks at her from the corners of the rooms, quickly looking away when Josie spots her. The young witch wishes they could go back to the way things were before she confessed her crush. All the tension and the time apart was slowly eating her up.

 

"Josie?" Ashley says as she shakes Josie's shoulder. "Are you okay sweetie? You spaced out."

 

Josie turns to the blonde vampire and gives her her best fake smile. "I'm fine."

 

"Do you want me to get you a drink?" Ashley offers.

 

"Sure, thanks."

 

Ashley makes her way through the little crowds that formed in the old mill. The party is going strong and everyone seems to enjoy themselves. Josie and Ashley had been sitting with some vampires that the blonde had befriended. The witch feels a little out of place with them, but she sucks it up, because she knows Ashley will be back soon. Josie hugs herself, suddenly aware of the cold air of the night. She looks around, trying to find MG. She knew her friend was wearing a jacket, a jacket he didn't need since he is a vampire. Josie spots him near her, talking to Kaleb. So she gets up and walks to him, but a hand gently encircling her wrist stops her.

 

"Are you cold?"

 

The voice makes Josie freeze. Josie turns around and faces Hope as she pulls her wrist away from Hope's hold. There's a flash of hurt on Hope's face when Josie pulls away, but it quickly disapears. Hope takes her leather jacket off and hands it to the younger girl. Josie sees how self-conscious Hope is. Without thinking too much into it, Josie takes the jacket and puts it on.

 

"Thank you Hope." She says quietly.

 

Hope gives her a little smile. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

 

"Sure, she is. You can go now."

 

Josie's head quickly looks to Ashley, who's now standing next to her with two drinks in hands. The vampire's eyes are cold and it makes Josie feels uneasy. As she looks back at Hope, Josie sees the anger in the tribrid's eyes.

 

"I'll go when Josie asks me to." Hope answers.

 

Josie smiles at Ashley as she takes her drink. "Thanks for the drink. Let's go back to your friends, okay?"

 

Josie takes Ashley's hand and pulls her gently to where they were previously sitting. As they're walking away, Josie looks at Hope over her shoulder and gives her and apologetic smile. Their eyes meet for a second before Josie collides with Ashley's back. The siphon stumbles a bit backwards and looks at Ashley, confused. She sees the way Ashley looks at Hope, still standing behind Josie. Before she has time to register what's happening, Ashley pulls her into a kiss. Josie is so shocked that she doesn't react at first. Then she hears the whistles and shouts, and she realizes what Ashley is doing. Josie pushes Ashley away angrily.

 

"Don't ever do that again!" Josie yells as tears form into her eyes. "I'm not some prize you get to claim."

 

Ashley's face drops. "Josie... That's not-"

 

As she speaks, Ashley reaches for Josie's hands. She quickly retracts her hands when Hope stands between them.

 

"Back off."

 

"Stay out of this Mikaelson." Ashley says through gritted teeth.

 

Hope gives Ashley a smirk. "Can't deal with me Ashley?"

 

"Fuck off." Ashley looks at Josie. "You should know better than to pine over a straight girl."

 

Ashley storms off, and everyone go back to their own conversation since the argument is over. Josie is soon surrounded by Lizzie, MG and Penelope. Every one of them is worried and ask her if she's okay. Hope sees Landon and Rafael walking to her, but instead of waiting for them, Hope goes to Josie.

 

"Josie..."

 

Josie looks up at Hope, and it breaks the tribrid's heart to see her tear stained cheeks.

 

"I'm fine. You can go." Josie says before quickly looking away.

 

But Hope doesn't listen to her, she makes her way to Josie until she's standing a few centimeters away from the younger girl. She wants to comfort Josie, but as soon as they're close to each other, Hope sees Josie's whole body tense up.

 

"Don't..." Josie says with a weak voice. "Please, just go."

 

Hope opens her mouth to say something, but Lizzie cuts her off.

 

"Don't you see she's upset? Go back to your hobbit, and stop messing with her!"

 

Then Lizzie is pulling Josie away from all the attention and back towards the school. The only thing left for Hope to do is watch them go, and she does so with an aching heart.

 

*****

 

Josie wakes up into the night after she fell asleep crying into Lizzie's arms. It never happened before, usually she was the one holding Lizzie. Lizzie is still deeply sleeping, her mouth is opened and her arm is around Josie's waist. Josie wiggles out of her sister's grasp gently, and then she walks to the door. She puts some slippers on before getting out of the room. She's careful as she closes the door, she doesn't wanna wake Lizzie up. When the door is finally closed and Josie turns around, her heart skips a beat. Sitting on the floor in front of her room is none other than Hope Mikaelson.

 

"Josie? What are you doing up?"

 

"What am I... What the hell Hope? What are you doing here?"

 

As Josie speaks, Hope gets up from the floor. As soon as Josie's words hit her, Hope is blushing and looking away.

 

"Well, I was really worried about you. I couldn't sleep, so I just decided to... Oh my god, I'm a creep."

 

The look of horror on Hope's voice makes Josie giggle, which brings a soft smile to Hope's lips.

 

"It's sweet of you, actually."

 

Hope nods and looks down. They just stand there for a moment, neither of them really knowing what to say. Then, Josie remembers exactly why she was getting up in the first place.

 

"I was actually going to get a glass of water from the kitchen, do you want to come with?"

 

"Uh, yeah."

 

They walk to the kitchen in silence. Even if Josie wanted to speak, she couldn't, because Hope is walking really close to her and sometimes their hands brush and it sends little electric waves through Josie's hand. It's crazy to think that she's been thinking about kissing Hope for weeks now, but she's never even wondered about how it would feel to simply hold her hand. Josie gets out of her head only when they get to the kitchen. She gets her glass of water before walking out again, not bothering to check if Hope would follow, she knows the tribrid is behind her. They don't walk too long before they find themselves in one of the common rooms. Josie sits by the fireplace before murmuring a fire spell to light it up. Hope sits down next to her with a smile.

 

"You have a thing for fire, don't you?" Hope teases.

 

Josie chuckles. "Shut up."

 

Hope joins the laughter, but when it dies out, the silence takes over again. Josie looks at the fire, letting herself relax.

 

"I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have stepped in." Hope says quietly.

 

Josie looks at Hope. "I'm actually glad you did. I'm sorry you had to though."

 

Hope shakes her head. "I didn't have to, I wanted to."

 

Hope's words feel heavy on Josie's chest.

 

"What did Landon think of that?"

 

Hope is taken aback. "What do you mean?"

 

"Didn't he catch the fact that I'm 'pining' over you?"

 

Hope seems unsure as she speaks. "He just said that he trusts me. I told him I wouldn't stop seeing you."

 

Josie shakes her head. "The thing is Hope, that you can't have us both. A friendship between us is obviously out of question. I think you have a choice to make, and honestly I hate to impose that to you."

 

Hope looks at Josie, and the young witch sees nothing but vulnerability in the ocean of the tribrid's eyes.

 

"I can't choose, it's too hard. I love Landon, but you... I dreamt about a day we could be together. How could I ever let go of you now that I know you want that?"

 

For the first time in so long, Josie feels a little bit of hope for them. She sees right through Hope's heart as she stares into her eyes. Then, Josie leans in and presses her forehead to Hope's.

 

"I'll do it for you then."

 

The touch is gone in a second, and Josie is getting up. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she quickly walks out of the common room, leaving a stunned Hope behind. As she walks through the hallway leading to her room, Josie is suddenly gently thrown to the wall. Before she has time to react, Hope's lips are covering her own. Their first kiss feels urgent, passionate and desperate. Hope's hands are softly gripping her waist as her lips are trying to convey everything that she feels. Josie quickly feels breathless from Hope's assault, but she'd never actually be able to push Hope away now. Because now she knows what it feels like when Hope is pressed up against her as their lips are connected. Josie almost whines when Hope stops kissing her.

 

"Don't walk away from me again. Please, don't ever do that again." Hope's voice is pleading.

 

"I – I thought that's what you wanted."

 

Hope's eyes are filled with hurt. "After everything that happened between us, how could you think that?"

 

"I just... You said it was too hard. I wanted to make it easy for you."

 

"Nothing's easy about our situation Jo." Hope says.

 

Then she moves away from Josie, and the taller girl immediately misses the tribrid's warmth.

 

"So... what are we doing now?" Josie asks as she leans on the wall.

 

"I have no idea." Hope lets out.

 

Josie tightens her jaw and shakes her head before letting herself slide on the wall. Hope looks down at her for a moment before sitting next to her. This time the silence around them feels heavy, but neither girls could break it. Hope looks at Josie, but the younger girl refuses to make eye contact, so she just looks straight ahead. After a moment, Hope looks ahead of herself too, but she lays her hand on Josie's. When Josie feels Hope holding her hand, her heart stops for a moment. She should have known holding Hope's hand would feel this good.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> So good news is : I'm not dead and I haven't forgotten about this fic!
> 
> Bad news is : I'm working like crazy and I can barely get any writing done.
> 
> Sorry for the wait and I hope you'll like this.

After the night they kissed, Josie and Hope start to hang out again. They draw a line, no intimate touches, no pushing Josie against a wall and definitely no kissing. They both admitt they can't stay away from each other, but Hope also says she isn't ready to leave Landon. So they're friends. Friends who look longingly at each other. Friends that sometimes stare at each other's lips. Friends that dream about each other every night. Josie's okay with that, well she's mainly okay with that.

 

Ashley tries to apologize at least ten times in the week following that night. Josie's having none of it. The possessiveness of the older had showed Josie that Ashley did have feelings for her. The no strings attached hook ups are definitely over. Josie wishes it could have gone differently, but she knew this was the only thing to do.

 

Josie's sitting by herself on the deck by the water where her father and Hope usually spar. Hope asked her this morning to meet her there. The problem is they were supposed to meet ten minutes ago, Hope is late. Josie sighs and shakes her head before standing up, ready to leave. She starts making her way back to the school, but as soon as she's close enough, Josie notices that something's wrong. There's a truck parked near the forest, and it has Triad's logo on it. Josie whispers a spell to silence her steps and she gets closer. She hides behind some trees, close enough to hear the people standing around the truck talk. What she surprises her the most is to see Landon talking to the Triad guy they had met on Spring Break. She frowns as she listens to what they're saying.

 

"You have to promise me you won't hurt them Ryan." Landon says, looking nervous.

 

Ryan smirks. "No harm will be done to your friends. Just give us the girl."

 

"Could we not find another way?" Landon tries. "Hope is not a bad person. She's actually..."

 

Landon is interrupted by Ryan's laughter. "We send you here to find the keys and you end up falling in love with one of them. How typical of you little brother."

 

Josie's eyes widen. She was trying to process all the information she had just heard. Landon is working for Triad. He's actually Ryan Clark's little brother. Hope is the last key to open Malivore. They are gonna hurt Hope. Before she can even form some kind of plan, Josie starts to run to the school. She has to do something. As she's about to climb the steps to get into the school, Josie runs straight into the person she's looking for. Hope doesn't seem to see her though because they crash into one another. Hope isn't really affected by the crash, but Josie does land on her ass.

 

"Josie! Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Hope crouches down to be on Josie's level. "Are you okay?"

 

"I'm fine." The younger girl simply answers.

 

Josie winces as she tries to get up. Hope is quick to help her.

 

"Your father wanted to talk to me. I'm so sorry I stood you up." Hope says again.

 

"Don't worry about that. We need to talk, and my dad should be there to hear it."

 

Hope frowns at Josie's words. She gets a little closer to Josie and pushes some hair out of her face.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

Josie bites her lip, emotions are a little too heavy for her. She briefly wonders if Hope will actually believe her. She had to, it was a life or death kind of matter. Her dad would know what to do, he would be able to convince Hope to listen to her.

 

"Hope! I was looking for you."

 

Josie's eyes grow wide as soon as she hears Landon's voice behind her. Out of instincts, Josie positions herself between Hope and Landon. Deep down, she knows Hope can handle herself, but she feels the need to shield Hope away from Landon.

 

"Don't move any closer!" Josie snaps.

 

Landon stops, he looks so confused that Josie almost believes she dreamt his conversation with Ryan Clark.

 

"Josie, what the hell? " Hope hisses from behind her.

 

"We need to get to my father's office, now." Josie says, not looking back at Hope.

 

"We'll go, but just let me speak to Landon for a sec-"

 

"No." Josie turns around to face Hope briefly. "Please trust me. I'm trying to protect you."

 

Hope looks into Josie eyes and Josie gets to exhale because she sees that Hope is ready to hear her. But then Hope's eyes flicker to Landon and Josie sees those beautiful blue eyes widen. Suddenly, Josie is pushed on the side. The landing is harsh, and Josie winces from the pain. She doesn't dwell on her own pain for long, because she sees Hope fighting Landon. She's much stronger than him, so he's quickly pushed down face first with Hope holding him down. Hope looks at Josie.

 

"What is happening?" Hope's voices cracks. "Why did Landon just tried to attack you?"

 

"He's working with Triad." Josie says.

 

Landon struggles on the ground. "Don't listen to her! She's the one working for them."

 

Josie stands up. "What? No I'm not!"

 

Josie looks at Hope and she sees the older girl is struggling. She doesn't know who to trust and it shows on her face.

 

"Hope... Please believe me. You've known me for a decade. Why would I work with Triad? You know I wouldn't do that."

 

"No, Hope." Landon butts in. "She's been working with them for a while. You have to believe me, I'm your boyfriend!"

 

"Hope..." Hope doesn't look at Josie. "Hope, hey, look at me." The tribrid looks up. "You know me, just like I know you. I'm not bad, and you're not either. We must protect this school... and each other."

 

It takes a moment for Hope to make a decision. Josie is relieved when she tightens her hold on Landon while helping him to stand up. Hope holds his hands behind his back, and Josie can't help but think it looks painful.

 

"Let's go to your father's office." Hope says as she starts to walk, pushing Landon in the process.

 

Josie notices that Hope doesn't look at her. She also notices how small the older girl looks. She's so strong yet so broken. That's when Josie realizes something, they both had their hearts crushed too many times. If she had anything to do with it, Josie Saltzman would make sure Hope Mikaelson would never have her heart broken again.

 

As soon as they walk into Alaric's office, he looks up at them. He looks confused to see Hope holding Landon hostage and Josie walking awkwardly behind them.

 

"What is going on?" Alaric asks as he stands up.

 

Hope sighs and shakes her head. "I'm not sure." She looks at Josie, and Alaric follows her gaze.

 

"I can explain some of it." Josie starts. "I was waiting for Hope by the lake, we were supposed to meet up and... talk. Since she never came, I decided to walk back to school. That's when I saw one of Triad's truck near the forest. I got closer and I saw Landon talking with Ryan Clark. Landon is his little brother, and he's working with Triad. He got into the school to find the artifacts. Hope is the last one of them. He was planning on giving her to Triad."

 

"She's lying!" Landon shouts. "This doesn't even makes sense. Rafael is my best friend, why would I work with Triad?"

 

All eyes are back on Josie. She shakes her head. "I don't know. You both need to believe me though. Landon is one of the bad guys."

 

"You're just jealous!" Landon says. "You're so desperate to get with Hope that you made all these lies up." He looks at Hope over his shoulder. "You know our time together means the world to me. Why would I want to hurt you? I love you."

 

Josie sees with horror how Hope's hold slakens. She sees the hesitation troubling the older girl. She's torn between her feelings for Landon and her feelings for Josie. She wants to believe them both, but it's impossible. It makes Josie panics and she looks at her father.

 

"Dad..." She pleads.

 

Alaric looks at her and nods. He opens one of his drawer and get a glass ball from it. They all recognize it instantly, and Josie is happy to see panic written all over Landon's face.

 

"Landon, are you working with Triad?" Alaric asks.

 

Instead of anwering, he starts to struggle against Hope again. Hope's face hardens and her grip gets tighter than ever.

 

"Let's get him into one of the werewolf cells." Alaric speaks up.

 

"I could kill him right away." Hope says, her voice devoid of any emotion.

 

Josie moves closer to the tribrid, gently laying a hand on her shoulder.

 

"Hope, this is not a solution. We should listen to my dad."

 

Hope doesn't say a word, instead she nods and moves to get out of the office. Alaric and Josie follow her to the cells. As soon as they get there, Hope tosses Landon into one of the cells. She walks out without a word, nor a look to Alaric or Josie. The brunette looks at her father, torn between running to Hope or leaving the older girl alone.

 

"You should go. I think she needs a friend." Alaric says in a quiet voice. "I'll handle Landon and Triad."

 

Josie goes. She doesn't catch up to Hope though. She hears some students say they saw the tribrid going straight to her room. So that's where Josie goes. She knocks on Hope's door, but the older girl doesn't answer.

 

"Hope? I know you're in there." Josie says. "It's okay if you don't want to let me in. I'll be here though. I'll just sit by your door, in case you need me."

 

So Josie sits and she waits. After an hour, she hears movements inside the room, but Hope doesn't come to the door. An hour later, Josie hears Hope sitting on the other side of the door. The tribrid stays silent, but Josie knows she's there. It takes another hour of waiting before Hope speaks up. When she does, it's in a small voice. A voice broken that Josie had never heard before.

 

"Josie? Are you still there?" Hope asks.

 

It's clear to Josie that Hope has been crying.

 

"Yeah. I'm here." Josie gently says.

 

"Why are you here?"

 

"Because you need someone right now."

 

Hope doesn't answer her, and Josie briefly wonders if she said the wrong thing.

 

"I'm sorry I doubted you." Hope says suddenly.

 

"You don't have to." Josie reassures her. "It was kinda hard to believe."

 

"Still." Hope sniffs. "I should've believed you."

 

"It's okay, Hope."

 

They stops talking after that. Josie can hear Hope's sniffs here and there, and it's enough to assure her the older girl is still there. Josie doesn't know how long they sit on each side of the door before Hope moves again. Josie thinks Hope is going to bed or something, but she's proved wrong when she hears the door unlocks. Hope slowly opens the door, and the sight of the broken girl breaks Josie's heart.

 

"Hope..."

 

"Don't."

 

Hope holds the door wider and Josie walks in. There's torn pictures and a broken painting on the floor. Josie doesn't comment on it. The younger girl just walk to the center of the room before looking back at Hope.

 

"What can I do?" Josie asks barely loud enough for Hope to hear.

 

"I don't know" Hope admits.

 

Then she steps closer, she gets so close that their bodies are nearly touching. Josie finds it hard to breathe as she wonders what will be Hope's next move. Hope's hands lightly grip Josie's hips and she brings Josie's body flush into hers. Josie doesn't let herself think, she tangles her hands into Hope's hair. Hope leans closer, but she doesn't kiss Josie. She simply presses their foreheads together and closes her eyes.

 

"I'm so messed up." Hope whispers. "I'm gonna be okay, right? These feelings will go way. Tell me it's gonna be okay."

 

"Of course it's gonna be okay." Josie says. "I can't tell you when, but you'll be alright. You're the strongest person I know. You'll get over this betrayal. Just give yourself some time."

 

"I feel like I can't breathe. I don't understand..."

 

Josie's hands leave Hope's hair to land on both of her cheeks. She breaks them apart to have a better look at the older girl.

 

"Hope, look at me." Josie asks softly. It takes a moment, but Hope finally opens her eyes. "There's nothing to understand. Sometimes people are shitty. I know you thought he was a good one, but turns out he's not. It's not your fault. You don't attract bad people. You're just a teenager who trusted the wrong guy. It happens all the time."

 

Hope rolls her eyes and gets out of Josie hold.

 

"This is not only a teenager mistake Josie! He was gonna open Malivore and destroy the world."

 

"But it didn't happen!"

 

"Fuck! Why do you always do this? There's no bright side to this situation."

 

"What does that mean?" Josie says, offended by Hope's words.

 

"Sometimes it seems like you live into your own little world. Where everyone has a good side, where everything will end up being okay, where things are pink and rainbows color the sky."

 

"Oh right." Josie says as she shakes her head. "Because the only right way to see the world is to think it's all dark and dangerous. No one's actually good and people always try to screw you over."

 

"That's reality. You can't trust anyone." Hope says as her face is devoid of emotions.

 

"You can trust me!" Josie argues.

 

She walks to Hope and grips her arm, making to older girl look at her. Hope's face is hard and Josie hates to see her this way. So she does the only thing she can think about to make Hope feel something. With the hand that's not holding Hope's arm, Josie pulls Hope in a deep kiss. Her hand holding the back of Hope's neck as Hope's hands grab her waist. The tribrid doesn't fight the kiss, instead she seems to melt into it. They kiss for a while, and after a moment Josie feels Hope's hands resting on her back under her shirt. That's when she knows it's time to pull back. Hope chases her mouth when she does, and Josie could swear she hears her whine.

 

"We're not going any further tonight." Josie states. "You're not in a good emotional state right now. I don't want to take advantage of you."

 

"I don't mind."

 

"I do."

 

Hope sighs. "Fine." She stops talking for a moment, and she takes that time to pull Josie closer. "I'm sorry I yelled."

 

"You're upset, it's okay, I get it."

 

"Could you, maybe, stay the night?" Hope asks, avoiding Josie's eyes. "I don't want to be alone."

 

"Of course."

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know I said I would get this out on wednesday, but thursday's not that bad either right?

In the week following Landon's betrayal, Hope is hot and cold. One moment she'd cuddling Josie, the other she's throwing her out of her room. They fight, they make up and they fight again. Josie's getting exhausted with Hope's attitude, but she does her best to stay strong. She can't give up now, not when Hope needs her the most. So she stays even when Hope does her best to push her away. She takes her energy in all the happy little moments they share.

 

Landon is still in the school's cells. No one knows what to do with him. They can't erase his memory, they can't send him back to Triad and they can't set him free. So Alaric keeps him locked up. Josie hears from her dad that Hope goes to see him sometimes, but it always ends really bad. Those are usually the moments when Hope seeks Josie out.

 

The young witch goes to Hope's room but receives no answer. She thinks that Hope must be in the cells. Since the betrayal, Hope can only be found in the cells or in her room. Josie sighs and then proceeds to take a deep breath. She briefly wonders which Hope will come back to her this time. The cold and distant tribrid, or the profoundly hurt teenager.

 

"Josie? What are you doing here?"

 

Josie turns around, and she's surprised to find MG looking back at her.

 

"I was just hoping to see Hope. Looks like she's not in her room though, so I'll just..."

 

The look that crosses MG's face reminds Josie of the night he came to apologize about his make out session with Penelope. Suddenly Josie feels like something bad happened.

 

"Jo... Hope is gone." MG says as he walks closer.

 

Josie frowns. "What do you mean?"

 

Her voice is so little that MG's steps get faster. Before she has the chance to react, Josie is wrapped up in her best friend's arms.

 

"She left early this morning. She went back to New Orleans. Your dad says... he says she's not sure to come back."

 

MG's words make Josie's knees give out. Thankfully, MG holds her up and tightens his hold on her. The tears come and then she's full on sobbing. In that moment, Josie's not sure what she expected from Hope. Maybe at least a goodbye. But there were no goodbyes, Hope was just gone and she had gone so early to be sure noone would see her.

 

Josie's not sure when they moved to MG's room, she just knows that she's glad her best friend is there. They cuddle on his bed and he puts her favorite movie on, without talking. No one really knows what was going on between Josie and Hope, but their friends knew there was something there. Something that Hope had clearly wanted to run from, leaving a broken Josie behind.

 

*****

 

It takes two weeks for things to be back to normal. Students stop talking about Hope's sudden disappearance. Josie's friends stop acting weird around her. Finally, Josie decides to move on. Hope had left, then Josie had to accept it. So she starts to give fake smiles to her dad, to Lizzie, to her friends... And it works, they all think she's okay. Josie is okay, she's hurt, but she's okay.

 

There's a party that week end at the old mill. Josie refuses to go at first, but Lizzie and MG insist that she goes, so she ends up going. By the time they get there, a lot of teenagers are already wasted or high, or both. As they're walking, Josie gives a little smile and a wave to Penelope. The short haired witch smiles back and winks at her. A couple of weeks ago, Josie would have been irritated, but today she just smiles wider and shake her head. Rafael walks up to them and offers them a drink. He's smiling, but Josie knows it's act. He's as broken as she is. Learning that the boy he considered a brother was in fact a traitor had been hard on the werewolf boy. Everyone takes a drink from the coolers, but Josie doesn't have the time to. Rafael hands her a drink.

 

"I made it myself, you don't need to worry." He says with a small smile.

 

"Thanks Raf." Josie says as she takes the cup from his hand.

 

"I thought we could hang out tonight, if you want to."

 

Josie's surprised and her eyes widen. "Uh, yeah, sure."

 

So Josie follows him as he walks away from the loud crowd. He goes to sit by the fire and Josie's grateful he chose this place. She always felt at peace there. They sit down, but they don't talk for a while. They both sip their drinks and look at the dancing flames.

 

"Do you remember the first night I spent here?" Rafael breaks the silence.

 

"Yeah." Josie simply answers.

 

"You told me that people we love usually end up crushing our hearts. I didn't believe you back then." Rafael sighs, and Josie sees him trying to fight the tears in his eyes. "I thought you were just a heartbroken girl. But now... now I know what you said was true."

 

Josie doesn't know what to say. She wishes she could comfort him, tell him she had been wrong, but she'd be lying.

 

"You had something going on with Hope, right?"

 

Josie turns sharply to look at him. "No! We were just... I mean we were friends."

 

"You don't need to lie. I saw the way you looked at each other, Landon did too."

 

Josie closes her eyes and tries to gather her thoughts. She's not sure what she should say.

 

"I didn't say that to make you feel bad or anything. I just know that you're going through something tough. Just like me."

 

"I just don't understand, you know?" Josie says and her voice cracks. "She just left. She didn't even say goodbye." Josie looks at Rafael and sees the tears on his cheeks as she feels her own tears falling. "She should have said goodbye."

 

Rafael nods and pulls her in for a tight embrace. Josie buries her face in his neck and cries. She hasn't cried since the night she spent in MG's room, and it feels good to let it out again. Rafael's hold on her is strong and it makes her feel safe. However, all of this gets shattered when he pulls back and puts his lips on hers. She quickly pushes him away and gets up.

 

"You're supposed to comfort me!" Josie yells. "Why did you do that?"

 

"I- I thought you wanted it too. Josie, I'm so sorry."

 

"You thought I wanted it? I'm crying in your arms because the girl I love left without saying a word and you thought I wanted to kiss you? What is wrong with you?"

 

Josie's shouts got them under the curious gazes of their peers. She quickly sees how much attention they've gathered and it makes her feel like a freak show. She's been at the center of drama in the last two parties. How ironic was that? She used to be invisible, and now all eyes were on her. As she looks around her, Josie starts to feel dizzy and anxious. The air is hard to find and her chest feels tight. Josie hears her sister yell, but she can't focus on her words. People start to move away and soon the old mill is almost empty. Josie's still gasping for air.

 

"Josie... Josie please look at me." Lizzie tries to get her attention. "Josie, you're having a panic attack. You have to focus on my voice."

 

Josie's able to understand her sister, and she nods to let her know she heard her.

 

"Okay. Now you're gonna try to breathe with me." Lizzie takes a deep breath and exhales. "Just like this."

 

The blonde twin breathes deeply and waits patiently for her twin to follow her lead. After a couple of seconds, Josie is able to breath with Lizzie and she feels like she can breathe again. She breathes deeply and the tight feeling in her chest slowly disappears too. When Josie opens her eyes, she's met by a very worried Lizzie.

 

"Hey you." Lizzie says. "How do you feel?"

 

"Please, just take me back to our room." Josie says instead of answering.

 

So Lizzie does, without asking anymore questions she guides Josie to their room. When they get there, Josie gets changed and she gets under the covers of her bed. Without a word, Lizzie gets in bed with her and spoon her. The blonde twin holds her sister tightly and Josie lets her. They're both startled when Josie's phone starts to ring. Josie doesn't reach out for it, but Lizzie does.

 

"Uh, I don't recognize the number." Lizzie says as she puts the phone back on the nightstand.

 

Then she's back to cuddling Josie. The brunette is about to fall asleep when the phone rings again. This time she groans and reaches for her phone.

 

"Hello?" She says.

 

"Hi."

 

Josie's heart stops, it's Hope.

 

"Josie, are you there?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Oh, good. How are you?"

 

Hope's voice is so casual that it makes Josie's blood boil. She sits up and bed and receives a questionning look from her twin. Josie had been miserable over the last two weeks and now Hope was just calling her and asking how she was?

 

"I'm mad."

 

There's silence on the other end of the line. "You have every right to be."

 

"I hate you."

 

"You don't."

 

"You don't get to decide what I feel!"

 

"Is that Hope?" Lizzie whispers and Josie nods to answer her sister's question.

 

"Would you be so mad at me if you hated me? No. You'd be glad I'm gone."

 

"Fuck you."

 

The words surprise Lizzie, and Josie too. She almost can't believe they got out of her mouth.

 

"I'm hanging up." Josie says again.

 

"Josie, wait! I didn't mean to... I mean, I'm sorry. I should have said something."

 

"It took you two weeks to get the courage to call me. Two freaking weeks!"

 

"I didn't know what to say."

 

"And now you do?"

 

"No." Hope sighs. "I just couldn't stand not talking to you anymore." She pauses. "I miss you."

 

"Well you should have thought about that before you decided to leave without even telling me." Josie says bitterly.

 

"I couldn't stand being in school anymore. He was there, you were there... I was so messed up and I felt like I'd never be okay again. I thought you deserved more than that, so I left."

 

Hope's words calm Josie's anger a little. "What made you call then?"

 

"I told you... I miss you."

 

"Are you coming back?" Josie can't help but ask. She's pissed at Hope, but it doesn't mean she doesn't desperately want her to come back.

 

"No. At least not for now." Hope says. "My family all gathered to be there with me. I think it's gonna do me some good to be with them."

 

Josie's heart sinks. "Oh, okay."

 

"I- I thought we could talk though. You know, call each other."

 

Josie shakes her head. "Am I really supposed to always do this?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Wait for you to want me. Wait for you to feel like having me around."

 

There's a silence on Hope's side of the phone. Josie feels a single tear on her cheek, and she smiles weakly when Lizzie reaches to wipe it away. Josie's twin gives her a comforting smile and the brunette does her best to smile back.

 

"I know I'm being selfish, just like I know it's not fair to you, but I'm asking you to stay around." Hope finally says. "Please don't give up on me."

 

"I'm so tired Hope. I can't have you crush my heart again. I don't think I could take it." Josie feels Lizzie pulling her in, and she lets her sister hug her.

 

"I'll be better. Just let me sort myself out, and then give me one last chance." Hope pleads.

 

Josie takes a deep breath. "Are you gonna come back to school?"

 

"Yes, I will. I don't know when, but I will."

 

"Okay. I'll give you a chance when you come back."

 

"Can I call you while I'm away?" Hope asks.

 

Josie shuts her eyes and debates with herself. "Yes."

 

"Thank you." Hopes breathes out. "I promise you won't regret the decisions you made tonight."

 

"I hope so."

 

They're silent again for a while. Josie then feels how tired she really is. She feels her eyes begin to close on their own.

 

"I'm tired now." Josie quietly says.

 

"Okay. I'll leave you then. Good night Josie."

 

" 'Night Hope."

 

The line goes silent, but it doesn't die. Josie waits but Hope doesn't hang up. After a couple of seconds, Josie ends the call. She places the phone on her nightstand and looks back at her sister.

 

Lizzie is about to speak but Josie cuts her off. "Tomorrow."

 

Josie sinks back into her sister's arms and falls into a deep slumber. The next morning, she remembers dreaming about auburn hair, ocean eyes and a beautiful soft voice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I just gave you more angst and no cuddles, but don't hate me, please? I promise fluff is coming soon. It's a slow burn guys!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! 
> 
> Sorry it's been so long for the update (again...). I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> WARNING....... Lot's of fluff ahead!

Hope calls once a week and texts everyday. The calls are long, but sometimes they don't say much. Sometimes, Hope only texts her to say good morning and good night, but it still feels great. Josie would be lying if she said she didn't wait for Hope's calls and that she doesn't smile like a fool everytime she receives a text from the tribrid.

 

Although, Josie has a lot less time to herself than she used to. Her dad decided to give new tasks and duties to the council. So she spends a lot of time doing that, and spending time with MG and Kaleb. Rafael refuses to help them with the council stuff, still ashamed of what he did at the party, he avoids Josie as much as he can. Josie is glad to have Kaleb to help her, turns out he's a great friend.

 

It's been three weeks since Hope's first call, and the auburn haired girl was supposed to call that night. Josie was glad when Kaleb and her finally wrapped up their work. She quickly gathered her stuff and it caught the vampire's attention.

 

"In a hurry?" Kaleb asks.

 

Josie stops her movement. She moves some of her hair behind her ear and gives him a smile.

 

"Uh, yeah. Hope's supposed to call tonight."

 

He nods and hums. Josie's puzzled by his reaction.

 

"What?"

 

"Nothing."

 

The witch rolls her eyes. "Come on, spill."

 

"I know we're not exactly... friends, but you're like one of the only person I actually like here. So here's a question : why are you doing this to yourself?"

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Look, I get it, okay? Hope is hot, badass and she's smart. But she also has a dark past and some mood swings." He sighs. "You know what? Forget it. It's none of my business."

 

Josie decides to ignore his last words. "You don't know everything."

 

He shakes his head. "I'm just saying that she left and didn't say a word. I'm also saying that you deserve better. I mean, you're cute and funny. Don't wait around for someone who might not want you around."

 

Josie lets out a humorless chuckle. "Nobody wants me around."

 

Kaleb gives her a weird look. "You're kidding, right? What about Penelope? And Rafael? And even that girl, Ashley? They all want you."

 

The names Kaleb drops make Josie freeze. She doesn't know how to react to what he just said. How was she supposed to explain to him just how special everything felt with Hope? How the tribrid could make her day better with simple words, or even just a smile. So Josie decides that she doesn't have to explain herself. This was between her and Hope.

 

"I... I should go." Josie says.

 

"MG and I are watching Captain America in our room tonight!" Kaleb shouts, and it makes Josie stop. "You're welcome to join us."

 

The brunette witch doesn't say a word as she starts walking again.

 

Hope's call comes about an hour later. Josie has been pacing around her room the whole time.

 

"Hey you." Hope greets her.

 

"Hi." Josie says back.

 

"Are you okay? You sound mad."

 

"I'm not mad." Josie says. "I'm just not sure about this."

 

It takes a moment for Hope to answer. "A-about what?"

 

"The texts, the calls, the wait..."

 

"What made you change your mind?" Hope asks, and her voice is wavering.

 

"I just... Hope, how long am I supposed to wait? It's already been three weeks. You never say anything about when you're coming back. You text me everyday, call once a week. I want... No, I need you here. I can't do this. Long distance is a nightmare. I miss your face, I miss your smile, I miss the feeling of your hands on me. I miss your lips, Hope."

 

Hope is quick to speak again."Look Josie, I promise I'll be back soon. Just give me a little more time."

 

"You're always asking for time, but you never say how much!" Josie pratically screams.

 

"I... I'm sorry."

 

"You're always sorry."

 

Hope sighs. "I know. It's just... I can't come back yet. My head and my heart are still so messed up. Maybe..."

 

Josie waits for Hope to finish her sentence, but the older girl stays silent. Josie can feel a burning anger rising in her chest.

 

"Maybe what, Hope? Say what you wanna say!"

 

"Do you want to come see me?" Hope's voice is small, unsure. Josie is so taken aback by the words that she says nothing."I'm not ready to be back at Salvatore, but I'm definitely ready to see you again. I miss you Josie, more than you know. And New Orleans is so beautiful in this time of year. I could show you all my favorite places and introduce you to my family. We could spend time together, alone, you know?"

 

Josie's anger is suddenly gone. It's replaced by a softness she only feels for Hope. The younger witch replays every word in her head, trying to make sure she heard right.

 

"Josie? It's okay if you don't want to. I- I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry I hurt you."

 

"No! Wait, don't hang up." Josie rushes to say. "You really want me to come see you in New Orleans?"

 

"There's nothing I want more." Hope says, and Josie can pratically hear the smile in her voice.

 

"I- I'll ask my dad. We just had our exams, and I'm sure Kaleb could handle the council with Rafael."

 

"Good."

 

"Yeah."

 

There's silence surrounding them, but for the first time since the beginning of the conversation, the silence isn't awkward or heavy. It's comfortable, like the ones they had in their previous phone calls. After a long moment, Josie hears Hope talking to someone. She can't understand what they're saying, but Hope's little laughter still makes Josie smile.

 

"Sorry Jo, it was my aunt Freya." Hope says.

 

"It's okay. Is everything alright?" Josie finds herself asking.

 

"Yeah, everything is great. She was only reminding me that we're having dinner in a couple of minutes."

 

Josie feels a little disappointed but she does her best to mask it. "Oh, that's great. I'll leave you to it then."

 

"Wait! Don't hang up yet, we still have a couple of minutes." Hope argues.

 

Josie chuckles and pushes some hair behind her ear. "Not ready to say goodbye Mikaelson?"

 

"Never." Hope only replies.

 

"Tell me... what's your favorite colour?" Josie suddenly asks.

 

"What?" Hope says back?

 

"Your favorite colour, Hope. What is it?"

 

"Uh, it's purple. A dark shade of purple. I'll show you which one if you want." Hope answers. "What's yours?"

 

"Blue." Josie simply says.

 

"Which shade?"

 

"Every one of them. They all have their own qualities. The deep blue of a night sky. The mysterious one of the ocean. The soft one of your eyes."

 

"You looked at my eyes a lot, uh?" Hope teases. Before Josie can defend herself, the tribrid adds something. "I looked at yours too. The warm brown eyes that always made my heart go soft."

 

"Hope..." Josie finds herself saying.

 

The younger girl feels the blush on her cheeks, and the pleasing feeling in her stomach. Oh, how long had she waited to hear that kind of thing from Hope?

 

"I really have to go now. Call me to say if you can come here, okay?"

 

"Yeah. I'll call you later."

 

"I'll wait for your call then."

 

"Bye" Josie says, softness laced to her tone.

 

"Bye Josie." Hope says back as softly.

 

Josie lets herself fall on her bed as soon as they hang up. If she had any doubt about their potential relationship before the call, she didn't have any now. She wanted Hope, she wanted all of her, and she strongly believed Hope wanted her back. She was gonna fight for them.

 

*****

 

"Dad?" Josie says after knocking softly on the open door of his office.

 

Alaric looks up from the thing he was writing down and smiles at her. "Hey sweetie, is something wrong?"

 

"No, nothing's wrong. I just... I have something to ask you."

 

Alaric pushes his work aside and motions for Josie to come in. She does, and as she closes the door, Josie takes a deep breath to calm herself.

 

"What is it Josie?"

 

"You know I've been talking to Hope since she's been gone, right?" Alaric nods. "The thing is, she's not ready to come back to school. I talked with her today and she suggested something."

 

"Okay, what is that something?"

 

"She invited me to visit her in New Orleans. Before you say no, just think about it. Our exams are over, I'm an honor student and on the student council. I can totally miss a couple of days of school."

 

Alaric smiles and shakes his head. "When would it be?"

 

"Wait, you're not saying no?"

 

"No, I'm not saying no. Now, when would it be?"

 

"I don't know." Josie says, but it sound more like a question. "Hope just asked me to come, she didn't say when."

 

"Ask her if you can go next week. It won't be a busy week in term of school work."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes."

 

Josie rushes to her father and tackles him in a tight hug. He smiles in her embrace and hugs her back.

 

"Thank you so much dad."

 

"My pleasure sweetie."

 

*****

 

When Josie calls Hope later that night, her heart drops because Hope doesn't pick up. She doesn't have the time to feel worse, because her own phone rings about a second later. Her heart flutters when she reads Hope's name.

 

"Hi."

 

"Hey! Sorry I didn't pick up the phone, I was downstairs with my aunt Rebekah and my phone was in my room." Hope quickly explains herself.

 

"It's fine." Josie says with a soft smile.

 

"So... do you have good news for me?"

 

"I'm not sure. I can go on one condition." Josie says.

 

"Which is?"

 

"It has to be next week. If that's okay with you and your family."

 

"It sounds perfect to me. My aunts said you can come whenever you want to." Hope replies.

 

"Oh... that's good then."

 

"Yeah, definitely. I'm so happy that you're coming here. I miss you, you know? It's crazy, I've never felt like this for someone outside my family. I mean I missed Landon when he went to search for his mother, but it was bearable. But you... I think about you all the time."

 

"That's... really sweet of you." Josie says.

 

The younger witch is surprised by Hope's honesty about her feelings. She was so used to see the older girl with her walls up that this new side of Hope was kind of unexpected.

 

Hope chuckles. "Sorry, that was really cheesy."

 

"Don't apologize. I liked it." Josie quickly says. "Do I need to tell you how you make me feel? Because I'm pretty sure you already know."

 

"I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

 

Josie smiles widely and shakes her head. "You make me go crazy, Hope Mikaelson. You make me do stupid things like setting your room on fire, or do black magic without permission. You make me flustered, and whenever you're around I feel like a stupid teenage boy who has never seen a beautiful girl before."

 

It's takes a split second before Hope's laughter echoes through the phone. At first it makes Josie smile fondly, and then she can't help but giggle a bit too. Their laughter has barely died down when someone speaks to Hope, but this time Josie does hear what that person says.

 

"You ready for our run Hope?"

 

Hope hesitates. "Would you mind giving me a moment?"

 

"Is it her?" The woman teases.

 

"Yeah." Hope answers.

 

"Take your time."

 

"Sorry again for the interruption." Hope tells Josie.

 

Josie can't help but ask. "Did you talk about me to your family?"

 

"Uh, yeah. Is that okay?"

 

Josie can hear the nervousness in Hope's voice, and it makes her smile again.

 

"It was unexpected, but it's more than okay."

 

"I kinda have to go, but maybe I could call you on Sunday, if that's okay?"

 

"Three times in the same week?" Josie teases Hope.

 

"I'd call you everyday if you wanted me too." Hope says seriously.

 

Josie is taken by surprise by Hope's words and forwardness. "You would?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"I wouldn't mind." Josie says.

 

"I'll call tomorrow then, and I'll count the days until you get here."

 

"Sounds oddly romantic."

 

"One of the things a Mikaelson does best." Hope says smugly, then she adds softly. "Goodnight Jo."

 

"Goodnight Hope."

 

The line goes silent, and for once Josie's heart feels full. Maybe they were finally getting somewhere.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Josie closes her duffle bag as Lizzie paces around their room. Josie sighs and looks at her twin, but it doesn't stop Lizzie.

 

"I can't believe you're abandoning me for a week." Lizzie drops, still pacing aound.

 

"I need this Lizzie." Josie says, putting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "I'll be back before you know it."

 

"What am I supposed to do while you're away? We've never been separated that long." Lizzie says.

 

When she hears Lizzie's words, Josie immediately stops her movements. She looks at her twin and the look on Lizzie's face breaks her heart. Lizzie stopped pacing to stand in the middle of their room with a lost look on her face. Josie puts her bag on the floor before walking to Lizzie and giving her a smile.

 

"You'll be fine. Just spend time with MG and Kaleb, they're good friends."

 

Lizzie looks at the floor and says something so quietly that Josie doesn't catch it.

 

"What did you say?"

 

"I said, MG doesn't speak to me much since our birthday. I ditched him to dance with Rafael."

 

Understanding dawns on Josie and she nods. "Come on, I'll speak to him."

 

It doesn't take much convincing for MG to agree to spend time with Lizzie. The blonde twin still looks sad and hesitant about Josie leaving, but she lets it happen. They hug for a long time, and Lizzie lets Josie leave after the brunette promises to call everyday.

 

Josie finally opens the passenger door of her father's van, but a voice stops her.

 

"Josie, wait!"

 

Rafael's voice makes her freeze. It takes everything within her not to open the door and tell her father to start driving. Instead of doing just that, she turns around and forces herself to smile.

 

"Hey Raf."

 

"Hey..." He says with an awkward smile. "I just wanted to, you know, apologize again for the way I acted the other night. I shouldn't have kissed you without your consent and all."

 

"It's fine." Josie says with a tight-lipped smile. "Was there anything else?"

 

He scratches the back of his head and nods. "I was actually hoping you wouldn't tell Hope. We're friends, and I would like it to stay that way."

 

Josie rolls her eyes. "I won't tell, now can I leave?"

 

"Uh, yeah. I hope you'll have a good time."

 

Josie nods, opens the door of the car again and hops in without looking back at Rafael. As soon as she's sitting down in the van, she sighs and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, her father is smiling awkwardly at her.

 

"Can we go now?" Josie asks her father.

 

"New Orleans here we come." He says.

 

As soon as the car is speeding on the high way, Josie puts her earphones in and closes her eyes again, she just hoped to not be sick during the ride. At some point during the ride, Josie receives a text from Hope. The tribrid only texts her to say that she can't wait to see, but it makes Josie's stomach flutter. She quickly replies to Hope's text and that's when she notices her father's little smile. Josie feels a light blush covering her cheeks.

 

"What?" She asks innocently.

 

Alaric chuckles. "Nothing."

 

Josie rolls her eyes, but she can't stop the smile that makes its way on her face.

 

*****

 

When they get to the Mikaelson household, Josie's eyes grow big. The place is huge, and Hope wasn't kidding before, New Orleans is beautiful.

 

"Beautiful, uh?" Alaric says with a smile. "It's intimidating though, that's what I thought the first time I was here."

 

"You came here before?" Josie asks with a confused frown.

 

"Yes. I came to meet Hope and talk to Klaus about our school. Hope actually joined the school a little after my visit."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah." Alaric says before smiling at Josie, receiving a smile in return. "Let's get inside."

 

"Okay."

 

They both get out of the van and Alaric opens one of the back door to get Josie's duffle bag. Josie waits for her dad before walking to the door. She was nervous about a lot of things. Things like seeing Hope again or meeting Hope's family. She just hoped that everything would go well. As soon as they get to the door, Alaric knocks on the big door, and Josie swallows her nervousness to put her best smile on. A woman with short wavy blond hair opens the door. As soon as she sees them, the woman smiles.

 

"Hi Alaric." She greets the headmaster, then she looks at Josie. "And you must be Josie, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Freya."

 

"It's really an honor to meet you Ms. Mikaelson." Josie says with a smile.

 

"Nonsense! Call me Freya."

 

Josie nods with a smile.

 

"I'll show you to your room since Hope's not here." Freya sees the little frown Josie has on her face and quickly explains herself. "She went on a run with my wife. She was a little nervous to see you again, so we kinda forced her to go and get some steam off." Freya says with a wink.

 

"Oh, okay."

 

"I guess I should go. I have to drive back to Mystic Falls and all." Alaric says with a smile. "Have a good time Josie. Call if you need anything." He thinks for a moment. "You know what? Call everyday, or text. I just need to know you're okay."

 

"I'll call you dad." Josie says with a little smile. She gets closer to her father and pulls him into a hug. "Thank you for letting me be here."

 

Alaric kisses her forehead. "Just be careful with your heart sweetie." He whispers in her ear.

 

It's all it takes for Josie to understand that her father knows something is happening between Hope and her. She feels the light blush covering her cheeks, and buries her face into her father's neck to hide it. When they pull apart, Alaric hands Josie her bag.

 

"Be safe, I love you." He says.

 

"I love you too." Josie says back.

 

And just like that, Alaric turns around and walks to his car. Josie can't help but watch him go. She had never been separetared from every member of her family. It somehow felt really strange to see him go.

 

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Freya asks gently.

 

It takes Josie by surprise to hear the woman talking to her. Almost as if she had forgotten Freya was even there. Josie turned to the blonde woman and gave her a teary smile.

 

"Uh, yeah." Josie realises she has tears in her eyes and brush them away. "Sorry, I just..."

 

Josie doesn't finish her sentence, but Freya still smiles and nods. "You'll be fine."

 

Josie takes a deep breath and gives Freya a smile that looks a lot more genuine than the last.

 

"I know."

 

"Wanna see your room now?"

 

Josie nods. "Yes, please."

 

The brunette witch follows the older woman upstairs. They pass lots of rooms, and sometimes Freya tells Josie to whom they belong. After what feel like a hundred rooms, Freya stops. There's two doors, one on each sides of the hallway.

 

Freya points to the door to their left. "This one belongs to Hope." Then she points to the one on the right. "This one will be yours."

 

"Oh, that's good. Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

 

"Are you kidding me? Thank _you_ for coming here." Freya says with a smile. "Hope's been really sad since she's been back. The only times she would smile were the ones where she would talk about you. Actually, her mood changed a lot when she gathered the courage to call you."

 

Josie's eyes grow a little wider with every word she hears Freya say. It was kinda hard to believe that _she_ was the reason Hope wasn't so sad anymore.

 

"Could you not tell her I said that? I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate." Freya says with a playful smile.

 

"I won't tell her." Josie says with a little giggle.

 

Freya winks at her before turning to the door and opening it. The room is beautifully decorated, in shades of red and back. The bed is so big that Josie's pretty sure it could fit at least 4 people. Freya motions for Josie to go in and so Josie does. The brunette witch looks at everything with impressed eyes.

 

"I hope you like it. The desk is empty, so you can put your clothes into it. It's never nice to live off of a bag."

 

Josie nods and smiles. "Thank you gain."

 

Freya smiles back. "I'll let you settle in. You can join me downstairs when you're done."

 

"I will."

 

Then the blonde witch is gone and Josie is alone. She lets her duffle bag drop to the floor and look around herself. The room was beautiful. Josie looks outside the room through the still opened door, she looks to the closed door of Hope's room. She wonders if Hope was the one who decided to have her stay in the closest room to hers. Josie shakes her head and moves to the bed. When she sits on it, she's impressed at how comfortable it is. She'd have no problem to fall asleep in that bed. She glanced at her abandoned bag and decided to take the time to empty it. Josie gets up, takes her bag and move to the desk. It's empty, just like Freya said it would be. It's only when Josie's almost finished that she hears someone walking towards the room. She looks up and towards the door only to make eye contact with Hope. Hope's hair is a mess and Josie is almost sure that she has dirt on one of her cheeks, but she looks more beautiful than ever.

 

Josie smiles shyly. "Hi."

 

Hope doesn't say anything but something shifts in her eyes. Before she can understand what is happening, Josie is being pulled into one of the tightest hug she ever experienced. Hope's arms go around Josie's waist and her fingers dig a little into Josie's back. Hope quickly buries her head into Josie's neck, and the brunette could swear she feels Hope breathe her in. After the initial shock, Josie hugs Hope back with as much strenght as she can. She couldn't tell how much time they stay that way, but Josie faintly hears Freya talking to someone from the doorway.

 

"Aren't they cute?" The unknown woman says.

 

"Definitely." Freya answers. "Let's leave them. I think they both waited for this moment."

 

Josie lets Hope hold her for as long as the auburn haired girl needs to. They don't speak, they just hold each other. Hope pulls back after a moment, but she stays close to Josie. The older girl keeps a grip onto Josie's waist. Their bodies are still pressed together, but they're far enough to look each other in the eyes.

 

"Hi." Josie tries again.

 

It gets a laugh out of Hope. "Hi."

 

"I missed you." Josie says with a soft smile.

 

"Not as much as I missed you."

 

Josie chuckles. "You could have called sooner, and more often."

 

"I ran away like a total idiot, I felt so bad about it Josie. I'm so sorry. And I wanted to call more often, but I kept telling myself that you had other things to do and -"

 

Josie cuts Hope off. "I was always waiting for you to call. You were always on my mind."

 

"You were the only person on my mind, believe me." Hope smiles and shakes her head. "I think I nearly drove my family mad because all I did was talk about you."

 

Josie laughs. "I hope they won't hold it against me."

 

Hope smiles and shakes her head. "No way. They're just happy that you're making me happy."

 

"I make you happy?" Josie asks.

 

"Yeah."

 

When Hope leans in and kisses her, Josie can't help but think that this kiss feels a lot better than the last that they shared. They're no burden now, the kiss doesn't feel heavy or urgent. They can take their time and appreciate the moment. Josie brings her hands up and around Hope's neck. She plays with Hope's hair as they softly kiss each other. The kiss stays chaste, neither of them rushes to deepen it. When they break apart, Hope buries her face into Josie's neck again, but this time she places soft kisses to the skin she finds there. Josie shivers when Hope kisses one of her sweet spots, and she instantly feels the smug smile that graces Hope's lips.

 

"I'll keep that spot in mind." Hope whispers against Josie's neck.

 

Josie rolls her eyes and playfully pushes Hope back. The little shove creates some space between them and pushes the girls to take a good look at each other.

 

"Your hair is a mess."

 

Hope looks shy. "Sorry. I usually shower after a run, but I couldn't wait to see you."

 

Josie shakes her head with a smile. "I don't mind. I was kinda bummed when your aunt told me you weren't here."

 

Hope winces. "I should have been here to greet you, I'm sorry."

 

"Don't be. You needed to run and that's okay." Josie takes a step closer to Hope. "I just couldn't wait to see you."

 

"Well we're spending a whole week together, so we'll see each other a lot."

 

"Good." Josie says quietly.

 

Hope nods. "Yeah, good."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! I'm sorry it took so long to get a new chapter, but I'm like working on 3 different fics right now so it's getting kind of a lot. BUT I'm managing :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> It's been so long since I got a chapter out for this story... Sorry for that.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Lots of fluff ahead.

On the first night Josie stays at the Mikaelson mansion, she doesn't sleep alone. After a long and pleasant dinner with Hope's family, the girls go up to their rooms. They're both standing in the hallway, awkwardly looking at each other, neither wanting to say goodnight.

 

"Well, uh, goodnight Hope." Josie finally says with a little wave.

 

Hope gives her a tigh-lipped smile and a nod, so Josie turns around and opens the door to her room.

 

"Josie, wait!" Hope demands as she walks closer to the brunette. "I just want to say... I'm sorry for the way I treated you after what happened with Landon."

 

"It's okay, Hope. You were hurtin-"

 

"No." Hope cuts Josie. "I had no right to treat you like that. You deserve so much better, and I'm gonna be better. So, I hope you'll give me a chance. A real one this time, with noone to stop us and no burden in our way."

 

Josie's face softens as Hope's words sink in. "Hope..."

 

"Don't say anything, it's okay. Just take your time, and we'll figure this out. Because I'm not running away this time, and I know what I want. I'm still hurt, and I might have bad days sometimes, but I'll do anything to deserve to be with you." Hope takes a deep breath and smiles. "Goodnight Jo."

 

Josie catches Hope's wrist as the smaller girl turns away to go to her room. Hope quickly turns around to face Josie again.

 

"I don't like sleeping alone when I'm in a new place." Josie simply says before biting her lip.

 

Josie's fingers slip from Hope's wrist to her hands, and then she intertwines their fingers together. She doesn't have to pull on Hope's hand to make her follow, the tribrid willingly goes inside Josie's room.

 

"Maybe I should go put some pajamas on." Hope nervously blurts out when they're in Josie's room.

 

It makes Josie giggles, and Hope could swear it's the cutest sound she ever heard.

 

"Probably, yeah." Josie says with a playful tone.

 

Hope nods. "Yeah, uh, be right back."

 

Then she's out of the door before Josie can add anything else. Josie notices that Hope closed the door on her way out, so the younger girl decides to change herself too. She's halfway changed when there's a knock on her door.

 

"Just a minute!" Josie calls out.

 

The brunette quickly puts her pajama shirt on and goes to open the door. Hope is standing there, dressed in simple grey pajamas. Josie smiles a little smile and opens the door wider to let the tribrid in.

 

"Do you like your room?" Hope asks as she walks in.

 

"Yes, it's perfect. Did you pick it yourself?"

 

"Yeah, I wanted you to be near me." Hope turns around to face Josie. "Is that okay?"

 

Josie smiles and steps closer to Hope. "More than okay." Josie gently takes Hope's face into her hands, and carress one of her cheeks with her thumb. "I hate being far from you."

 

"I hate it too." Hope whispers. She places her hands on Josie's waist and gently pulls her in. "You're beautiful."

 

Josie giggles. "Thank you." She leans her mouth close to Hope's ear. "You're not that bad either."

 

Hope shivers when she feels Josie's lips brush her ears. Her hands travel from Josie's waist to her hip, when they get there, Hope tightens her grip. She presses her forehead to the brunette's and look her right in the eyes. The older girl gently pushes Josie to the bed, she only stops when Josie's knees touch the end of the bed.

 

"You know... Wolves can be quite possessive, so I really think you should stop teasing me."

 

Josie's eyes widen a little, but still she finds herself to be daring. "Maybe you should show me what i'm getting myself into then."

 

Hope's eyes flash golden for a second before they go back to their usual blue. Josie is kinda surprised when her back hits the mattress. Her eyes widen for a second, but she's soon smiling when Hope lays on top of her. Hope smirks when she sees Josie's surprised face before she leans in and kisses her. The fact that Hope can be so fierce when she's fighting and so gentle when she's touching her still manages to amaze Josie. The tribrid suddenly stops kissing Josie, instead she's looking right into her eyes. Josie is barely breathing as she feels Hope's gentle touch. One of Hope's hands is supporting her weight near Josie's head while the other travels along her body. Hope is looking down at Josie in quiet wonder, almost as if she's wondering if Josie is really there.

 

"Do you believe in fate?" Hope asks quietly.

 

"Fate?" Josie repeats, unsure she heard right.

 

"Yeah." Josie nods. "Do you think everything that happens has been written down somewhere?"

 

Josie frowns. "No. I believe that some things are meant to be, but we also have a lot to do with our lives."

 

It's Hope's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

 

"Well, some things are meant to happen and even though we try, we can't stop them. Like tornados and stuff. But, some things we can actually change. Like when a vampire is turned. They can decide wether they want to be a vampire, or just die." She stops. "Does it make sense to you?"

 

The tribrid smiles. "Yeah." She raises her hand to caress Josie's cheek. "Us, which one are we?"

 

Josie frowns as she thinks. It takes her a moment to answer. "Maybe a little bit of both."

 

Hope nods. "I think so too. I... I think we were meant to be at some point, we just had to figure out when."

 

"Yeah, sounds about right." Josie smiles.

 

Hope gives Josie a final smile before she gets off of her. She lays down on her back next to Josie, and after a couple of seconds, Hope gently reaches for Josie's hand. Josie looks down as Hope intertwines their fingers and smiles softly when it's done.

 

"You know... we could have been together a lot earlier if you hadn't burnt down my room." Hope says with a teasing smile.

 

Josie groans and takes her hand back, then she takes her pillow and hits Hope with it.

 

"Asshole!"

 

"Hey!" Hope says after the pillow hits her. "I'm the victim here!"

 

The tribrid takes her own pillow to hit the younger girl back. Laughter fills the room as the pillow fight starts. It's a little later, as the pillow fight is still going strong, that the Mikaelson siblings walk to their niece's room. They're a little surprised, yet happy, to hear laughter coming from their guest's room.

 

"Do you hear that?" Rebekah says with a fond smile.

 

Freya nods. "It's good to hear, isn't it?"

 

"Yes." Rebekah says.

 

"Let's leave them, Hope is obviously more than okay."

 

As they're walking away from the room, Rebekah leans a little closer to Kol.

 

"I'm so glad Josie is not as annoying as her mother. It would have been a real nightmare."

 

*****

 

Six days into her stay and Josie has seen a lot of wonderful things. She followed Hope around the streets of New Orleans as the older showed her her favorite spots. She tasted the food Hope loved, listened to every story Hope was willing to share. She watched with interest as Hope's eyes would light up at some point, and when they would be clouded at others. That's how she knew which spots were brightened by good memories, and which were darkened by bad memories.

 

"Do you want to go back home? I'm kinda tired." Hope says.

 

"Sure."

 

As they walk home, Hope takes Josie's hand in hers like she does most of the time when they're walking side by side. They've gotten a lot closer than before. They share Josie's bed every night, most often than not cuddling as close as possible. Hope likes to steal kisses every chance she gets, but not when there's people around. It's okay though, Josie understands that the older girl isn't into PDA. They had shared a heated moment the third night they shared together, but they decided together to stop before going any further than being half naked. Josie was glad they did, Hope's nervousness and her own worries were enough to make them stop.

 

Josie's about to go inside her room when Hope stops her.

 

"I want to show you something."

 

The young witch lets the tribrid lead her to a room on the other site of the house. A room she wasn't shown before. Hope takes a little key out of her pocket to unlock the door, and when they step inside, Josie's breath is taken away. It's a room full of wonderful and colorful paintings. Without saying a word, Josie walks inside the room, her eyes full of wonder. She looks at some paintings more closely. She sees that most of them are signed by none other than Klaus Mikaelson, but some of them have Hope's neat handwritting to them.

 

Hope clears her throat, and Josie immediately looks back at her.

 

"The one I want to show you is on the other side." Hope says.

 

Josie doesn't miss the light blush coloring Hope's cheeks, but instead of asking her what it's about, Josie simply follows the older girl. When Hope stops in front a little painting, Josie's heart almost stops. In front of her is an almost flawless painting of her 12 year old self. Josie gets closer to get a better look, and she quickly notices a small piece of paper pinned to the painting. The young witch turns around and looks at Hope with questions in her eyes.

 

"You can read it." Hope simply says.

 

So that's what Josie does. She gently takes the note from the painting, careful to not damage the piece. Her eyes quickly read the small note, a small smile playing on her lips with every word she reads. When she's done, she looks back at Hope. The tribrid has a shy smile on, and quickly looks away.

 

"I had such a huge crush on you, it's kind of embarrassing. My mother asked me about it, and about you. So I painted this, and I wrote that note. I could have send her a picture of you, but... I wanted her to see you the way I saw you." Hope gets closer to the painting and smiles as she shakes her head. "I wanted her to see your warm brown eyes and your beautiful and gentle smile."

 

Josie pulls Hope to her and gently kisses her on the lips.

 

"Don't be embarrassed, this is so beautiful. Thank you for showing me." Josie says as her forehead is resting against Hope's.

 

Hope shrugs. "Well, I only thought it'd be fair."

 

Josie frowns. "What do you mean?"

 

"You told me what was in your note, the one you burned my room for." Hope says with a playful grin.

 

Josie pushes Hope away. "Are you always going to bring that up?"

 

Hope shrugs again. "Maybe. This would be a wonderful anecdote to tell at our wedding."

 

It rolls out of Hope's mouth before she realises what she's saying, but as soon as it's out, her eyes widen. Josie is taken aback by Hope's words, but instead of freezing, she gives Hope a smug smile.

 

"Well, it's kind of early to think about our wedding since you didn't even ask me to be your girlfriend yet."

 

Hope clears her throat. "Uh, yeah. Sorry... I wasn't like... implying anything. It was just-"

 

Josie chuckles. "Hope, relax. I was just teasing you."

 

"I do want you to be my girlfriend though. If you want to, I mean."

 

"Yes." Josie says quickly. So quickly that it takes both of them by surprise. "Sorry, I've been waiting to hear these words come out of your mouth."

 

Hope shakes her head with a fond smile. "Don't be sorry."

 

The older girl leans in and kisses Josie's cheek, before letting her lips travel to the brunette's ear.

 

"Let's go back to your room."

 

Later that night, when they make love for the first time, Hope isn't nervous and Josie is more comfortable than she ever was. They look at each other with hooded eyes and touch each other with tenderness. Josie's eyes are closed, and they have been for a couple of minutes when Hope whispers something she'll never forget.

 

"I am so in love with you Josette Saltzman." Hope kisses Josie's shoulder. "I'm gonna marry you one day."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay.
> 
> So it's short. I know it is, and I'm really sorry for that. But we're nearing the end for this story. I hope you're still enjoying the ride! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! 
> 
> So I couldn't get this out of my head after last episode. I had to write this. This is gonna be a one shot for now, but it could be more. Just tell me if you want more.


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